The Purest of Heart
by Earth Queen
Summary: CHAPTER TEN IS UP! After making friends with a girl named Annie and stumbling upon an age old legend of a powerful creature, B.E.N. has become the target of bounty hunter pirates and a crazy rich couple. But why him? PLEASE R and R!
1. The New Girl on Montressor

This story is based off of another story I wrote that I will keep only to myself, which means it will not be posted on Fanfiction. It has the same basic storyline, and that makes it easier for me to write this. This chapter has been revised somewhat, so now it's even better than before. Also, I would like to give thanks to two people for reviewing for this first chapter at last, but I'm sure I'll receive more pretty soon. This story has waited for ages for a decent review! And readers get ready. Dragons are introduced into the Treasure Planet world for the first time ever! D Yay! I write this story because I love Treasure Planet _and_ dragons. So I thought: why not combine the two? But I know I'm not the only one with that idea, so I'll throw out some acknowledgement to whoever did come up with the idea first, and I'm sorry I don't know what your name is. I wasn't aware of the idea until fairly recently. I first saw the dragon/Treasure Planet idea on DeviantArt and I have to say that that one dragon (the one eagerly trying to open the map) really looked like it belonged to the Treasure Planet world. Excellent work, by the way. For this story I have come up with my own type of dragon that is nothing like the dragon I saw on DeviantArt. Finally, there will be some good action involved as well. So, here it is, The Purest of Heart.

**Full Summary:** B.E.N. makes a new friend, an alien girl named Annie, who crash-lands on Montressor. But what they don't know is that a prophecy has been put into play, and now bounty hunter pirates and a sinister being are after them both! Will they make it out with their very lives?

**Disclaimer:** All characters of Treasure Planet are copyright of Disney. The only characters I own are the ones that never appeared in the movie.

**Chapter One: The New Girl on Montressor**

A few clouds streaked the early afternoon sky, drifting lazily in the peaceful atmosphere. But something else was shooting through the sky. A lifeboat of some kind, its small solar sail ablaze with fire, the thruster sparking and smoking. A young girl fought with all her might to keep her little lifeboat at bay, determined to land as safely as possible, but her efforts seemed to be in vain as she neared the planet's rough surface. "Those stupid pirates!" she screamed.

The market at the square of the town of Benbow was bustling with activity this fine afternoon. A little robot strolled along through with his happy-go-lucky air, a jubilant tune carrying on his throat. "Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" B.E.N. hummed to himself. "I don't like pirates, but I like the song," he said and went on, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."

B.E.N. had been out in the market a little while, shopping for a few essentials, by order of Sarah Hawkins. A new family of aliens, named Crumbleton, had recently arrived to Benbow, and Sarah had mentioned earlier today that she was planning a big dinner with plenty of guests. Besides, the Crumbletons were very high-class, wealthy, snooty, and completely self-absorbed, but no one, not even Sarah, was about to let their nose-in-the-air attitude get the better of them. Everyone involved was determined to make this dinner perfect. And it was going to be somewhat expensive. The preparation time was planned to run for three days, then the third would be the day of the dinner with the Crumbletons. This whole thing was going to take some work. A _lot_ of work.

"Gosh, I knew it would be expensive," said the robot, looking at a piece of paper with the total amount that he'd spent so far, "but I _never_ thought it would be _this_ much! Sarah sure is putting a lotta money into this one!" Then he smiled brightly. "But I can't wait to meet the new family! This dinner's gonna be so much—"

B.E.N. was suddenly cut short by a small crowd that was gathering in the area. Aliens of all kinds pointed and looked on wide-eyed at something in the sky. Seeing this, B.E.N. was befuddled and followed the crowd's gaze. "It's a lifeboat!" someone shouted out. Now he could see that is was undoubtedly a lifeboat careening out from the atmosphere, thrashing out of control as it went.

No one else was aware of this, but B.E.N. could barely pick up a faint scream coming from the lifeboat! There was a _person_ in there! He gasped, beginning to fidget and panic. "That's not good, this is _not_ _good!_" he cried. Finally..._CRASH!_ That truly worried him, even more so than it did the crowd. "_Definitely not good!"_ he screamed, wrapping his arms over his head as if feeling the victim's pain.

A quiet murmur rose from the crowd. B.E.N. was able to make out some of the words being exchanged from one person to another.

"Someone should help..."

"That person may already be dead..."

"The authorities could..."

"But the area is..."

"That person needs help..."

Now under the influence of these words, B.E.N. made a brave attempt to arrive to the crash victim's aid. He rushed through the diminishing crowd, stopped at the edge of a small cliff, and discovered a deep trench below. Down in the trench, he caught sight of the lifeboat, which was now a complete and total wreck, the solar sail torn and burned, the thruster smoking and petering out. "Hold on down there!" he called. "I'm comin' down to help ya! Since no one else is," he shrugged nervously.

Courageous, B.E.N. took a small leap from the ledge down to another one five feet below. He staggered in his landing, but kept his balance. Then he slid down the rough side of the trench and reached the wreck successfully. Broken shrapnel from the boat and what remained of the solar sail covered the victim, and he threw aside whatever was there. The victim's face and body now revealed, he caught his breath and dropped open his maw, his eyes meeting the sight of who lay there, in the midst of the destroyed boat, before him. "Well, for heaven's sake," B.E.N. smiled.

The victim was a young and beautiful female felinid. Short, green face-painted marks, which resembled the facial stripes of a tiger, streaked horizontally across her cheeks, two for each side. She had golden blonde hair, cut at shoulder length, and it was fixed into a ponytail. She wore a sage green shirt, long, dark blue pants, brown leather boots and a belt around her waist, and what appeared to be brass bands on her wrists. Around her neck was a simple necklace. Attached was a round, darker green pendant with a leaf emblem in the center. A shoulder bag hung across her torso. Her exposed left shoulder had the same green streaks marking the skin; the sleeve had been torn at the seam.

What devastated B.E.N. the most was the slew of cuts and scratches on the felinid's arms, only a few scrapes on her face. And she seemed to be unconscious. Scared, he placed his hands on the tops of her shoulders and gently shook her in an attempt to wake her. "Oh, come on. Speak to me! Miss! Say something! _Anything!_"

He then desperately lifted her arm and put two of his fingers on her wrist where there was a slight pulse. The felinid stirred slightly, barely moaned, her breathing a bit shallow and soft, but she slipped back into unconsciousness. "Oh! Fantastic! You're alive!" B.E.N. exclaimed happily, carefully placing her arm back down. "Ooh. These cuts look like they really hurt. You wouldn't happen to have any bandages on you, would ya?"

He glanced frantically about. Then he noticed that the shoulder bag was open. Curious but reluctant, he began to fumble through the bag and pulled out a little, metal box with a handle. Lifting open the top, he discovered a small collection of medicines, tools, and remedies. It was like a first aid kit complete with what was necessary to heal wounds like that of the felinid's. B.E.N. smiled.

"Oh, wow! Look at how smart you are!" he complimented. And he used the tools and medicines to tend to her wounds. "I just can't _imagine_ how someone as lovely as you could get into this big mess." Bandaging the wounds, he said worriedly, "Oh, I sure hope it wasn't pirates. Well, at least you're safe now, right?" he chuckled to himself.

The felinid's eyes fluttered. She began to stir again. Now she was more aware of a pair of metal hands touching her left arm. By instinct, her right hand snapped up and gripped at B.E.N.'s thin arm. She gasped out loud while he screamed, "Whoa! Wait! Take it easy! I'm a friend here! Oh, please don't hurt me!"

The felinid released her grip, letting her arm drop down beside her and exhaled, relaxing. "I'm so sorry," she breathed. "I thought...you were a pirate or something."

"What, me? A pirate? I don't even _like_ pirates!"

"Well...after hearing your voice, I know now that you're not. Where am I?"

"Well, I saw your lifeboat _careening_ across the sky and you crashed here on Montressor! I can't tell ya how frightened I was when I saw you, and your boat was just _outta control!_"

"I remember that. I thought I was dead. And I'm sorry I grabbed your arm like that."

"Yeah, you _scared_ me there!" B.E.N. then continued to bandage the felinid's arm. "One more second...there." He finished by tying a bowed knot with the ends of each of the bandages, smiling. "Better, huh?"

"Thanks, so much," said the felinid, returning the smile.

"You are quite welcome, Miss. Oh! How rude of me!" the robot laughed. "I-I'm sorry! Hi there. My name is B.E.N., by the way. Bio-Electronic Navigator." He pointed to the large compass on his front. But the compass fell open. "Oops. Hate when it does that." Embarrassed, he closed it back up and held out a hand. "And you are...?"

"Annabelle Norrington," replied the felinid.

"Oh, what a pleasure to meet ya, Annie." B.E.N. very gently shook her hand, keeping in mind that she was physically weak from her injuries.

"Pleasure to meet you, B.E.N."

"You don't mind if I call ya Annie, do ya?"

"No, not at all. I've hardly ever been called Annie, except by my friends." Suddenly, her left arm pulsed with a shooting, burning pain. "_Ah!_ Ow! Oh, my arm!"

B.E.N. pulled back cautiously with a gasp, concern filling him up. "What's wrong with your arm? It's not broken, is it? Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"No, no, it's okay. It's not your fault," Annie grunted through gritted teeth. "But I think it is broken." She winced painfully, trying not to cry.

"Oh, here! Lemme fix ya up!" B.E.N. hurriedly but gently used a strip of cloth from the bag and created a comfortablesling for Annie's broken arm to hang until it healed. "How's that? Better?"

"Yeah. Thank you so much for all your help."

"No problem. Hey! You must be from the planet Felinor! Oh, beautiful planet up there! It's been 120 years since I've been there myself, personally."

"Have you lived here all this time?"

"What, on Montressor? Nah. Well, it's kind of a long story." He then began to speak a little bit quickly, broadening his gestures as he came to the climax of each sentence. "I was built on a planet _far, far_ away from here. And then I got stolen by this vicious pirate named Captain Flint, who made me his personal servant! You've probably heard of him." Annie nodded. "Then he marooned me on Treasure Planet for a hundred years after pulling my primary memory circuit so I couldn't tell anybody about the booby trap he set in the centroid of the mechanism. Well, that's when Jim Hawkins came along, and then he put my memory circuit back in. Then we only had two minutes and thirty-four seconds till the planet blew to smithereenies! Now _that_ was _really_ intense, lemme tell ya!"

Annie giggled timidly at the robot's amazing storytelling antics. "But we all got out in time," he went on. "All thanks to Jimmy and his solar surfing techniques. The way he maneuvered around the flying space trash, it just blew my mind! I tell ya, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen! And he lives here, ya know."

"He does? I've heard of him. He's a famous captain now isn't he?"

"Yep. That's my good buddy, Jimmy. And the best solar surfer I know!"

The two laughed.

_He's the one_, Annie thought. _The one you told me about, Mother_. "B.E.N.," she said, lifting her head slightly to get a better look at the robot. "Can you give me your hand? I just wanna examine it for a quick minute."

"Well, sure!" B.E.N. held out his little hand, allowing Annie to hold it in her right hand. As soon as they made contact, B.E.N. felt a brief warm pulse in his own hand and pulled it back in question.

Annie smiled to herself and exhaled slowly, laying her head back, closing her eyes. _I've done it, Mother. I still don't understand what this delivery was about, but I did it._

"Hey, uh, did you feel something?" B.E.N. asked, curiously examining his hand.

"Huh? Feel what?" Annie replied, opening her eyes and acting as if she knew naught what he was talking about.

"Oh! Jim! Here he is! I found him! B.E.N.! He's down in this trench! And it appears he's got a lady friend with him!" Delbert Doppler called out from above. B.E.N. looked up and saw, besides Doppler and an oncoming Jim Hawkins, a small gathering crowd at the top of the trench. What was more, there was also a pair of robot constables, who were keeping the clamoring crowd at bay.

"B.E.N.! What were you doing down in there?" Jim wanted to know. B.E.N. grinned nervously and waved a small wave. "And who is that? How did she get here?"

"Oh! Yes! Well, uh, i-interesting question. Funny story. See, what happened was—" the robot tried to explain, but the constables suddenly took notice of his position. They interrupted him by grabbing him by the arms.

"Please remove yourself from the trench, sir," one of the constables ordered.

"This is a restricted area," added the second gruffly. "That was the direct movement of violation 9-0-1, section 15, paragraph 3."

Poor B.E.N. was taken aback. "What?" he gasped, tongue-tied. "Violation? But I had no—I-I was just—I-I didn't mean—You-you got the wrong robot!"

Just as two aliens moved into the trench with a stretcher, Jim stepped in. B.E.N. remained flanked by the robot constables, both of his arms in a tight clutch. "Officers, will you please explain to me what's going on here?" Jim wanted to know.

"Captain Hawkins," replied the first constable. "This robot was positioned in a restricted area."

"I could see that, thanks. And I'm sure he just tripped and fell in. He does that a lot anyway."

Annie then came up and out of the trench, lying face-up on the stretcher. "Wait," she said. The aliens stopped at the top of the trench, between Jim and the constables.

"Annie!" B.E.N. smiled.

"B.E.N. meant no harm," Annie told the constables, coming to B.E.N.'s rescue. "I know, just by looking into his eyes, he isn't the least bit capable of ill intentions. In fact, I can prove to you all that he saved my life. Look." She held up her bandaged arm for everyone to see, even though just holding it up was excruciating. "The wounds I received from the crash would have been enough to kill me. But B.E.N. rescued me."

"I did _that_?" B.E.N. asked himself.

One of the robot constables leaned in and said to Annie, "Ma'am, we are bound by the law. He violated one of the most—"

"He violated nothing! Had he not found my first aid kit and used the medicine inside it to heal my wounds, my soul would be lost to the etherium right now. B.E.N. saved my life...and that's all that matters." The crowd murmured in agreement. "Now, technically speaking, how was he to know that the trench was restricted if there was no barricade indicating so?"

"I thought you put those up," the first constable whispered to his partner.

"I thought _you_ did," replied the other.

"Also," Annie went on, "I know from his kindness that, even if there _were_ barricades, B.E.N. is a robot with the heart to do the _right_ thing and help me from the trench rather than the _smart_ thing and obey the law...only to let me die." The crowd ooh-ed and aww-ed and murmured when she finished.

B.E.N.'s lower jaw quivered; he was touched by her words. His metallic blue eyes glistened with oily tears, and he smiled through it as his finger wiped his tears away, sniffling to himself. "So beautiful. Does anyone have a tissue?" he sniveled.

"She makes a very interesting point," observed Doppler, adjusting the little pair of lenses on his large dog nose.

"Well, officers?" inquired Jim. "Let B.E.N. go. After all, he did do the right thing."

A pause.

The constables pondered the matter. B.E.N. glanced up at them, pleading in his mind for them to free him from their grasp. "Fine," said the first one at last. "He's free to go." And they finally released their hold on B.E.N., who grinned and exhaled in relief. The crowd cheered and Annie smiled.

"Thanks for getting me out of that fix," B.E.N. said to her, leaning in for a moment. "How can I ever repay you?" he wanted to know.

"There's no need," she answered gently. "You saved my life. Now I'm returning the favor." Aware that she would be carried off in the next instant, she added in, "I should be fine in a few hours. I'll come by the Benbow Inn as soon as I'm rested in the hospital house." And off she went, on the stretcher, to the hospital house to recuperate from the mental and physical stress the crash had had on her.

B.E.N. waved enthusiastically after her. "Okay, bye!" he called. "Bye." Then realized. "Hey, wait a minute. I don't remember ever telling her where I live. How did she—? _Oh_, she's good!"

"All right, everyone!" ordered the robot constables. "Move along, there's nothing more to see here. Move along." The crowd obeyed, beginning to die away. Doppler made his way back home. Jim and B.E.N. followed suit.

On the way, B.E.N. smiled ear to ear, Annie running through his mind. There was something about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Something that didn't have a name. One thing was sure: he really liked her.

Without warning, B.E.N. felt a twinge in his consciousness. His eyes flashed white, he grimaced with a shudder, and his limbs jerked askew. When the sensation subsided a second later, he blinked and shook his head, befuddled. "Whoa!" he said to himself. "Hello! That was sure weird." He shrugged off the subject and continued on his merry way.

To be continued…

Ever wondered what Annie was talking about in her thoughts after she touched B.E.N.'s hand? And what was this sensation that B.E.N. had just experienced? Is it some kind of glitch, or something more? Please read on to the next chapter to find out! Or at least get a hint of it. Please review for this chapter. Now would be nice!

**Caution:** updates take me a little while, so bear with me and be patient.

**Minor note:** I didn't know what to call the alien species that Amelia is. After reading a couple of other stories, I found the name "felinid." Whoever came up with the name for Amelia's alien race, I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for this story. If you don't want me to use it, please say so and I will try to think of another name, although it will be very difficult to do so, I'll try anyway.

Yes! Chapters Two and Three are finally up!


	2. A Story to Tell

This one took a long time to come up with because it's like a story within the story. It's sounds kinda silly that such a short chapter could take so long! And I didn't know whether or not to _show_ B.E.N. getting permission to see Annie. Anyway, here it is, finally! Please read it. Enjoy!

**Chapter Two: A Story to Tell**

It had been a few hours since Annie had been taken to the hospital house. B.E.N. had gotten permission from Sarah to visit Annie, so he was walking quietly through the hallway to find her room, a large bouquet of exotic flowers in his little hand. A nurse emerged from behind the door to Annie's room and asked the robot what he was up to. "Oh, just visiting a friend," B.E.N. answered. "That is if she even _thinks_ of me as a friend."

"You may go in, but please keep your voice down, love," replied the nurse in her hushed, delicate Irish accent.

"Oh, sorry, sorry," B.E.N. apologized in realization. "So, uh…yeah, thanks," he whispered. And he was let inside.

In her room, Annie woke up from a little nap at the sound of footsteps approaching her bed. She looked over to her right to see B.E.N. walking in. She smiled happily. "Someone here to see ya," B.E.N. called out in a singsong voice. "Hi there, Annie. How ya feelin'?"

"Much better, now that I've had some rest," Annie replied. She noticed the flowers he was carrying. "Are those for me?"

"Yep, they sure are." He placed the flowers in a glass vase on the table next to her bed. "Anything I can do for ya? If you're not warm enough I can get you extra blankets? Your pillows need fluffing? Or I can adjust your bed—" He was scampering about as he was saying all this, but Annie interrupted and he stopped.

"No, no, no. Don't worry about it. I'm fine." She sort of laughed. "You've done enough. Really."

"Well, you know, I can't help helping a friend. Heh-heh. Eh, but we are friends, right?"

"I think so. I mean you did a great job with my cuts and putting my arm in this sling."

"And you helped me with my little, um, disagreement with those cops."

"Yeah, I would say we _are_ friends."

B.E.N. was relieved to hear this. "Whew. That's a relief. I was beginning to get the idea that you—well, _anyway_…you just lemme know when I'm rambling." He had to laugh at himself.

Annie giggled. Then she thought of something. "Hey, B.E.N.?" she said.

"Uh-huh?"

"You told me your life story. As much as you _could_, at least, right?"

"I did, didn't I?"

"Well, now I have a story to tell you. It's one that my mother used to tell me when I was little."

"Really? Oh, I _love_ stories. Do tell!"

"Okay."

B.E.N. sat down and listened with great interest, like a child trying to hear a bedtime story.

And Annie began:

"A long time ago, there was a far away planet. It was farther out than anyone could go, really. It was called Draco. And on the planet was a creature unlike anything anyone had ever seen or ever could see. It was like a legend come to life."

"What was it called?"

"This creature was called a dragon. Most people outside the planet thought that dragons were nothing but bloodthirsty monsters. But the reality is that most people thought wrong about them. Dragons were kind and gentle creatures, especially to the ones that took care of them from the time they were eggs."

"What did they look like?"

"Dragons? You mean you don't know what they are?"

"Eh, no. Uh, is that a bad thing?"

"No. Well, I'll tell you. They looked like giant lizards with long necks, long tails, dorsal spines down their backs, and huge batlike wings. And they had a unique power."

"What's that?"

"They could breathe fire."

This was fascinating to B.E.N. "Wow. Sounds kinda scary."

"Sure, they looked a little frightening, but they really weren't. Oh, now here's where it gets good."

"Ooh! What happened?"

"There was also a good king who ruled the planet. But one day, he fell prey to a greedy man who locked the king away, and he has been there for a hundred years. When this man, called the Dark Lord, took control of planet Draco, he bred dragons of pure evil. He called them dark dragons. And he used them to prey upon the weak, especially the female dragons. He used them to breed more dark dragons."

"Oh, those poor female dragons. So, what happened next?"

"Well…then there came a prophecy."

"A prophecy?"

"Yeah. It says: 'Darkness rules when light is killed and all will suffer an ill and terrible plight, but only one Purest of Heart shall come and purge the darkness on a dragon whose skin shows white. And only one other than the Purest of Heart shall come with a spirit so bold, a child who rides a masculine dragon whose skin shows nothing but gold.' And now planet Draco lies in wait to be liberated of the Dark Lord. In my opinion, this is the only good story about dragons. I myself never liked those other stories where dragons were slain. So what do think?"

"Wow. What a great story! That was so much fun! _Unforgettable_, even! It'd be pretty exciting if these dragon guys were real, wouldn't it? I'd sure like to _meet_ one, but I'm not talking about those scary-sounding dark dragons. Hey, ya gotta come over to the Benbow Inn sometime! In fact, why don't you come to this dinner party we're having? It'll be loads of fun! So, whaddaya say, Annie? Wanna come?"

Annie thought for a moment. Then she answered with a nod, "Of course, I will. It's _sounds_ like a lot of fun. Why not?"

"Yes! Fantastic! Trust me, you'll love it. And you could even meet all my buddies there too!"

"When are you having it?"

"Well, it, um…" B.E.N. was caught off his guard, somewhat embarrassed. "Actually we're still working on it. It takes a lot of work, lemme tell ya, with the preparations n' stuff."

"Maybe I could come over later and help out?"

"Would you? Oh, that would be fantastic!"

"It's no problem. I enjoy throwing a party."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I'll talk to the nurse, see if they'll let me go."

"Yeah, but your arm—"

"It's all right. I've done many things with one arm. I can handle it."

"Okay. Good." B.E.N. then began to walk out the door. "So, I'll, uh, I'll see you later? Right?"

"Definitely. See you later, B.E.N."

"See ya, Annie!"

With that, the robot left. Annie sat back in her bed and sighed longingly to herself, staring out into space with a blissful smile. "He has such a pure heart. I don't know what I would do without him."

But she couldn't help feeling that something or someone with ill intentions was going to try and pull them apart, or ultimately try to take B.E.N. prisoner for entirely selfish reasons. She then thought of the malevolent and brutish pirate crew that attempted to capture her and shot her down instead, the pirates that were watching and waiting to make their move, just outside of Montressor.

To be continued…

Is Annie's story true? Is there really a hundred-year-old prophecy waiting to be fulfilled? And who are the pirates that shot her down and what are their intentions? Find out in Chapter Three! The action of the story comes early! Yes! But please review for this chapter! Right now! One more thing to add: Chapters Three and Four will introduce even more foreshadowing than this one.


	3. Pirate Raid

You'll probably spot a small allusion of _Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl_ in this action-packed chapter. I mean who doesn't like pirates? Enjoy!

**Chapter Three: Pirate Raid**

It was only hours ago today that Annie had come to the Benbow Inn, and she had been introduced by B.E.N. to the Hawkins family and the Dopplers. In this same day Annie even received her own room to rent until she decided to set out once again for home. For the time she was there, she and B.E.N. talked of many things. She even shared one of her many beautiful sketches with him, wowing him with her artistic skills.

B.E.N. was especially joyful because he'd made a new friend so fast and that she was staying at the Inn. His time with Annie brought back memories of when Jim became his friend. The only difference was that Annie was a lot more willing to be with him. He also enjoyed when she made friends with _his_ friends as well.

Today, the decorations had been put up on the walls for the dinner, which would be in one more day. The next day would be setting up a long table where the food would be in a neat array and where the guests would make themselves comfortable. Exotic flowers would be included in the arrangement on the table as well.

It was around evening in Annie's room. She and B.E.N. had been sharing little stories and jokes. And out of the blue, B.E.N.'s eyes went white as he jerked askew with a shudder and a grimace on his face. The image he saw was bright, distorted, and lasted as long as the whole sensation, only a couple of seconds. He shuddered again and shook his head in bewilderment as the sensation subsided. "Huh? Wha—? Again?"

Annie had noticed. She looked at him, confused and concerned. Was there something wrong with him? "B.E.N.?" the felinid queried. "Are…are you all right? Was that a glitch or something you just had?"

B.E.N. was beginning to freak out. He turned to his friend. "Ah, a glitch? It's not the kinda glitch _I've_ ever had! Well, except for yesterday when it happened. And ya know, that's the _seventh_ time today it's happened!" He jerked again, the same symptoms taking place. He grabbed his head when it ended. "Ah! There I go again! Yep, it's official: something's _definitely_ wrong with me!"

Annie thought for a short moment. "Hold on, I know some about machinery, even a little about your kind," she said.

"Ya do? Y-you don't think I'm sick, do ya? _Please_ say I'm not sick!"

"No, don't worry. I don't think you're sick."

Relieved, B.E.N. calmed down. "Oh. Good. Whew." He wiped a bead of oily perspiration from the side of his head. Then he put his hands to his chest, feeling around for any change, and glanced down at his front to check himself. "But I sure feel funny, though."

"You don't have to worry," Annie told him in a subtle laugh, gently holding his little hand. "I don't believe it's anything serious. It's a little like hiccups, and hiccups are always cause by an irritation of the diaphragm. Now, I know you don't have an actual diaphragm, but something is irritated inside you and it'll soon calm itself down. Besides, I think you're better already." B.E.N. smiled wide. Annie was right. "See? You're okay. Nothing to worry about."

"I think…I _do_ feel better." He brightened up. "How do you do it, Annie?"

Just then, the ominous whirr of a thruster met their ears, emitting from outside, where the moon was beginning to rise. "What's that?" Annie asked.

"I dunno," B.E.N. replied. "Probably just a little boat, a schooner or somethin' or other. There's a lot of those around here."

But Annie felt a deep, sinking feeling in the pit of her gut. Something was telling her that it was not ordinary schooner. She began to have the same feeling as she did at the hospital house after B.E.N. had come to see her. This time she was pretty scared. Perhaps her fears where now coming true and she and B.E.N. would be captured, but she told herself, though is was difficult, not to think that way.

Downstairs, Jim and Morph, who had also heard the noise, curiously went to the holowindow and took a look outside. In the dark of the night, they could make out a group of bulky figures sauntering towards the Benbow. Something about this seemed familiar. The figures seemed to be carrying weapons. It then came back to Jim. Something like this _did_ happen, about a year ago. Jim and Morph were able to make out the figures and recognized their bulkiness. Morph's eyes shot wide in alarm. "Whaahh!" he screamed.

"What are pirates doing here?" Jim exclaimed in surprise. "Everyone! Come down here, right now! I need your help!"

B.E.N., Annie, and Sarah came rushing down the flight of steps to the dining room on command. "What is it, Jimmy?" B.E.N. wanted to know.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked.

Jim turned to the three as they all stood there, waiting for his answer. "Block the door!" he cried. "Go! Now! Grab what you can and block the door! There are pirates out there! They're coming this way!"

"Ah! Pirates!" B.E.N. screamed in shock, hands on his head. He was beginning to panic. "Not pirates! _Anything_ but pirates!"

Sarah's worried expression was replaced by one of determination. "Not again," she said to herself in a low voice, grabbing a nearby chair. "Not at this inn. Everyone, you heard him!" she shouted. "Grab what you can and barricade the door!"

Annie merely stood there within herself. She knew now just who the pirates were. They were the ones that almost caught her, the ones that had shot her down and caused her to crash land on Montressor. "It's them," she whispered to herself. "Stronghold and his crew." She then noticed that everyone else was moving frantically to block the door, using chairs, tables, anything they were able to use. But the felinid had an alternative, particularly for B.E.N.

"B.E.N.! You need to come with me!" Annie cried.

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" the robot asked, turning to her.

"The pirates! They're after you, B.E.N.! They're coming for you!"

B.E.N.'s jaw dropped right open, his breath caught in his throat. He was at a loss at first, and he stood there frozen on the spot. "Guh…" he gurgled, wide-eyed. "Wh—wh—what! Y-y-you can be serious! They can't be after _me!_"

"They are, unfortunately."

B.E.N. shuddered and fidgeted, the terrifying reality of the matter sinking its teeth in. "They-th-they're…they're after…me?" he stammered. "They're after me! But why me?"

"I don't know, but you have to hide! Come on! If you stay down here, they'll get you for sure!" Annie grabbed B.E.N. by the arm and pulled him upstairs with her, just as the pirates, about five or six of them, exploded through the door with sabers and laser flintlocks, bellowing out in angry cries of greed.

"Get back!" Jim yelled threateningly, drawing the saber he'd forged himself for his admission into the Interstellar Academy. The leader of the pirates—one that resembled the long lost Scroop, an arachnian—threw down another saber, but Jim caught the assault with his own. He struggled against the giant pirate's brute strength and turned to Sarah. "Mom, find a place to hide! I can take these guys!" he grunted.

"No, Jim!" Sarah protested. "You can't fight them alone!"

"Better listen to yer mum, boy," the arachnian agreed in a voice that resembled a hissing snake. He then thrust his saber against Jim's, throwing it across the room. It hit the floor with a loud _clang_. The pirate gripped at Jim's shirt collar, holding the saber to his bare neck while Morph growled, but the little blob was hit in the face with the arachnian's fisted claw. "Where is he, boy?" the pirate hissed.

"Who?" Jim replied, his voice hoarse from the grip.

"We know you've got 'im here. Now where is he?"

"Who…what are you talking about?"

The pirate threw Jim to the floor in a frustrated snarl. "I'm talking about the robot!"

"What?" Jim breathed, putting two and two together. He wearily stood on weakened legs and faced the arachnian. "What do you need him for?"

"That is not yer concern. Geckron!" the arachnian snapped, turning to a makriki. "Yer with me. We're goin' upstairs."

"Sure ting, Rooks," said the makriki.

"The rest 'o ye, keep watch of the boy and 'is mum. And the li'le blob too. If one of 'em makes a break for it, punish 'em." The other pirates snickered and nodded in affirmation while Rooks and Geckron moved up the flight of steps to find, and even capture, B.E.N.

On the upper floor, B.E.N. and Annie burst through the door to a room. Their hearts pounding mercilessly behind their chests, the two searched for a hiding place, panic-stricken. "Over here!" Annie cried out, pointing to a large wardrobe. Thankfully, it was empty enough for both of them to conceal themselves into. They let the double doors of the wardrobe swallow them up just when Rooks and Geckron came into the room.

Inside the wardrobe, Annie and B.E.N. sat huddled up close to one another. They watched the makriki and arachnian search the room through the crack of the doors. Their hearts hammered against their throats from the exertion and the fear of being discovered. "This is just like what happened to me 116 years ago," B.E.N. squeaked in a whisper.

Suddenly, his metal teeth began to chatter. So much so that they created a small clattering noise. Annie quieted his teeth by gently pressing her right hand up against his lower jaw. "Thanks," he whispered out the corner of his mouth, his voice muffled.

"No problem," Annie whispered in return. "Try to stay quiet, okay?" B.E.N. nodded.

"We know you're in 'ere, robot," Rooks called out. "We know you're 'ere as well, lassie. But it's you we're after, robot." B.E.N., within the cavity of the wardrobe, released a silent squeal of dread, his eyes wide-shot. "Ye can't hide forever. Come out."

"We promise we won't 'urt you," Geckron put in, grinning.

"You've got somethin' we want and it calls to us." In the wardrobe, Annie's heart sank to her feet shamefully. "The power calls to us." The arachnian's large, yellow eyes moved across the edge of a rug, which led up to the wardrobe. "There," he said in a low voice to his partner, pointing a deadly claw at the wardrobe.

_What have I done?_ Annie thought to herself in dishonor.

Without warning, the double doors opened in front of the two friends. B.E.N. and Annie cried out with a start. Rooks grinned, showing his fanged dentures, while Geckron pointed a laser flintlock at Annie. "'Ello chum and lass," the makriki greeted matter-of-factly. B.E.N. and Annie could see the eyeballs that rested in the back of Geckron's throat as he spoke.

"You're comin' with us, ye sorry sac o' metal," the arachnian hissed, holding the blade of his saber up to B.E.N.'s thin neck.

"Not the face!" he pleaded, wincing.

"Don't make any sudden moves, ye hear?"

The frightened robot eyed the saber, gulped hard, and shuddered.

"Leave him alone!" Annie growled.

"Shut yer yap, ye wench!" Geckron spat, poking the flintlock at her arm.

"Ye got away from us once, little lass," hissed Rooks. "And we'll be sure it doesn't 'appen again."

"Hm?" B.E.N. squeaked, glancing at Annie.

Annie only smirked. "Don't worry, B.E.N.," she assured him. "I'll make sure these cut-throats leave here empty-handed."

"Oh, really?" Rooks mocked.

"Really," Annie replied. At once, her good hand snapped up and snatched the flintlock from Geckron. Then, she kicked the two pirates in the ribs, knocking them to the floor, and stood over them, pointing the flintlock at their faces. "Lay one part of yourselves on B.E.N., you'll be in a world of hurt," she told them threateningly. B.E.N. was watching her, wide-eyed.

"Ooh, violent, are we?" said the arachnian.

Rooks thrust out a spidery leg and tripped her. The flintlock flew out of her hand upon impact and was caught by Rooks's sharp claw. He handed it back to Geckron, who leapt to his feet and grabbed Annie by the arms. Rooks snarled and seized B.E.N., clutching his thin arms.

"Ah, come on, guys! Be reasonable!" the robot pleaded, but the two pirates ignored him and dragged him and Annie out of the room and back downstairs.

On the lower floor in the dining room, Jim was in a tense standoff with the rest of the pirates. Hearing footsteps, he, Morph, and Sarah turned to the flight of stairs and met the sight of B.E.N. and Annie already captured and being dragged down by Rooks and Geckron. "Jimmy! Jimmy, help us!" B.E.N. cried out.

"Ugh, let us go!" Annie barked angrily.

"Don't worry yer pretty little head, lass," said Geckron. "We'll let the boy and his mum and blob go free."

"You two, on the other hand," added Rooks, "are comin' with us. It's you, robot. You're the one we want."

As the crew of pirates exited the house with B.E.N. and Annie in their grasp, B.E.N. called out helplessly, "Help! Jimmy! Morph! Sarah!" but the three merely stayed put, distraught. The door slammed shut and poor B.E.N. and Annie were gone, out of their sight.

Morph chirruped in worry while Jim got to his feet, ran to the window and watched a small schooner lift into the air and vanish into the night. "Jim, what's going on?" Sarah wanted to know, shaken by the encounter she'd just endured. Morph whined pathetically.

"I dunno," Jim replied and stared out into the endless etherium. To himself, he mused, "I don't get it. What would a bunch of pirates want with Annie…or _B.E.N._ for that matter?"

To be continued…

Well, what do you think? Wanna know what the pirates want with B.E.N.? Read on to find out! Don't forget to review this chapter!


	4. Escape

To explain the "glitches" that B.E.N. is having more and more often, I borrowed an important idea from _Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch_. The only difference between the two is that B.E.N. never goes berserk and starts wrecking everything in his path like Stitch when he has his "glitches."

**Chapter Four: Escape**

"Take you're hands off!" Annie growled, struggling against Geckron's grip. B.E.N. had no intention of struggling. He was too frightened of the razor sharp palms of Rooks' dangerous claws, afraid that they would rip right through his metal like tin foil.

When the schooner approached a larger, menacing ship that was black with red sails, the pirates that had taken them hostage stepped out of the schooner with them and onto the ship's deck. A number of other pirates surrounded Rooks, Geckron, and their captives.

One of the pirates stepped through the crowd and into the circle. This one was larger than life, wearing a black leather cloak and a black hat. The clothing underneath the cloak was red. The belt he wore was a darker crimson with a black skull buckle. His face was the same color as his belt, skeletal with fangs and one or two gold teeth, and six eyes sat in his skull. To B.E.N.'s horror, this guy looked almost exactly like the long late Captain Flint! And when the pirate laughed, his deep, booming voice shook the entire ship.

"So, yer the one we've been searchin' for," the pirate guffawed loudly, gesturing to a cowering B.E.N., who was no more than half his size. "Pretty scrawny, I'd say."

"Captain Stronghold," said Annie. "I might've known."

"I'll not be hearin' a word out of you, Missy," the captain sneered to the felinid. "Ye were clever to have evaded me once. But how is it, may I ask, that ye lived to tell the tale after I shot ye down like a pathetic, little bird?"

"B.E.N. was at the right place at the right time, and he helped me. But thanks to you, Stronghold, my arm is broken. Not that it would concern you."

"Yer right, it wouldn't, and it don't," he said matter-of-factly and turned to the small, frightened B.E.N. "Welcome to the _Black Wing_, your passport to a new home. And you, my little fellow, are going to be delivered straight to our boss."

"Oh, great," B.E.N. replied with a shudder. "Eh, what exactly do you mean by 'delivered'?"

"Our boss is waiting to see ya personally. Ye see, you've got somethin' he wants and we're not about to let yer lady friend here help ye escape." Stronghold turned to Geckron. "Geckron, would ye be so kind as to show our little lass to the brig? The robot's mine."

"With pleasure, sir," replied the makriki. Opening a grated door in the floor, Geckron promptly tossed Annie down into the brig. She landed on the floor with a hard thud and screamed out in pain from landing on her bad arm, which was still in the sling.

Frightened for his friend, B.E.N. was freed from Rooks' grip, and he rushed over to the now locked brig door, dropped to his hands and knees, and looked down through the grating at the felinid. "Annie! Annie, you all right?" he cried. "Say something!"

"Don't worry about me," Annie called up in return. "I can take care of myself. It's you I'm worried about, B.E.N. I don't want _you_ to get hurt."

Without warning, Stronghold snatched B.E.N.'s arm and yanked him away. "Whoa! Wait a minute, Mr. Pirate Guy—er, Stronghold, whatever your name is. That's my friend down there! Come on! Help! Somebody! Help!"

"B.E.N.!" Annie screamed from down in the dark brig, where the only light that trickled in was through the grate holes of the door. Poor B.E.N. had been taken to the hold next door to the captain's quarters. "This is all my fault," she sobbed to herself.

Stronghold opened the door to the hold. B.E.N. chattered on rather quickly, trying to convince the pirate captain to let him go, but he was thrown inside. The door closed shut behind him. The room was small and dark with only one window on the left that was barred with metal and one seat on the right. The door had a peephole with which Stronghold used to look in on B.E.N. as the robot stood and backed against the wall, fidgeting.

"This is yer room until I present ya to the boss in person," Stronghold told B.E.N. "Besides, I'm waitin' for somethin' to happen with ya."

"Huh? What somethin'?" B.E.N. wanted to know, perplexed and scared. Stronghold's cold, hard, sneering stare burned into the frightened robot's mind, and it disturbed him. "Wh-why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, drawing back further. "I think you've got the wrong robot. Really, I—" Just then, it happened again. B.E.N.'s eyes flashed white, his face twisted into a grimace, his upper-body jerked from the strong tug at his consciousness. He shook his head as he shuddered, dazed and confused.

"That's it!" Stronghold pointed out.

"What's it?" B.E.N. queried, and he jerked again, his eyes flashing white. "Ooh," he grunted.

"That! The call."

"Call? What call?" A third time, he jerked, the same symptoms taking place. This time the tug was more of a yank. "Whoa!" He held his head. "Ouch. That one was a doozy."

"Ha! Living proof! You _are_ the one!"

"Huh? Wha—?" B.E.N. looked up in time to see Stronghold gone from the peephole. Alarmed he jumped to his feet and called out, "Hey! Wait! You're not gonna leave me here, are ya? Don't I get at least one decent say in this—I guess not." He gave up and sat on the seat in the little room, and he jerked a fourth time and held his head.

"Oh, my poor head." Once again it happened. The glitches were growing stronger little by little. "Ah! There I go again with the glitches! Which…are all…just like hiccups," he told himself, remembering what Annie had said. "Yeah, just some kinda irritation. It'll stop soon. Yeah! There's absolutely _nothing_ wrong with—" Again the glitch came. "Yow! Okay, _huge_ headache, not good," he moaned. "Guess I'll just have ta wait it on out. I mean it's not so bad. I'll bet Annie's formulating a plan right now that'll help us _both_ escape! Yeah! That's it!"

ooo

A little while went by since B.E.N. and Annie's capture.

Annie sat alone on one of the large crates in the back of the brig's hold. Since the minute she was dropped down in here, she sat, thinking solemn thoughts to herself. She was losing hope as time passed her by. She almost gave up hope completely. "This is all my fault," she whispered. "Stupid me. Had I only known my being with him would put him in danger with Stronghold." She exhaled in helpless defeat before continuing to herself. "And now it wouldn't matter anymore if I die here."

But then she mentally kicked herself for even thinking that way. "What am I saying? I can't give up now. B.E.N. needs my help, now more than ever. There's gotta be something I can do to get out of here. There's gotta be a way out."

Listening carefully, Annie could make out overlapping snoring emitting from outside. "Ha, they're asleep." Smiling with newfound determination, her mind racing, she jumped to her feet, turned, and stood back and looked over the rows of crates that stood before her. She then cast an upward glance at the above locked doorway to the brig. The formulation of a plan was coming together. If she could stack the crates up to the opening and climb up and out…. "Hmmm," Annie mused with a smirk.

It was most likely that these were food crates and this brig doubled as a small cargo hold. The food crates were probably empty because they felt hollow. If they were completely empty, they would be easy to move. Annie gripped at a crate and was able to slide it across the floor with ease. Also, they were all half her height. She finally created a small tower with the stacked crates and began to scale them like a mountain.

At the top, she noticed the lock and reached for the scrunchie in her hair and pulled out a crooked pin. With it, she began picking the lock. She stopped, alert from a pirate's loud snort. Knowing now that he only stirred and fell back to sleep, she went on picking the lock. At last the lock came undone with a click and Annie opened the door and silently climbed out onto the deck.

Next, she panned around and she spotted a lifeboat that was painted black. Then she looked out into the etherium behind her. Montressor was in sight! Perhaps that lifeboat had enough power to transport both B.E.N. and herself back home. Moving on silent feet around the snoozing pirates, Annie climbed into the lifeboat, untied it from the _Black Wing_'s bow, and drove it quietly along the side of the ship. A small, barred window with another lock came into view. That was B.E.N.'s little prison cell. Doubtless he was in there. "I'm coming, B.E.N." she whispered.

In his room, B.E.N. struggled to keep himself awake. The quite of the night was taking its sleepy toll on him. "Sure has been a while," he yawned. "Wonder if she's thought of a plan yet."

Just then, the sound of hover jets met his audio sensors (meaning his ears), alerting him much more awake. He leapt to his feet and rushed to the window to find the source if the sound. And who should appear to him in a lifeboat, coming to his rescue once again? "Annie!" he beamed in sheer joy. Then he quieted himself and lowered the volume of his voice. "Annie, is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" Annie replied teasingly, keeping her own voice low.

"How'd ya get out?"

"Just picked a few locks."

"Boy, are you smart or what?"

"Oh, well, I don't like to brag. Here, lemme pick this lock for you and we can both go home." She then came close to the barred window, pulled out the pin from her hair, and began to pick the lock. "Just sit tight there and I'll have you out of here in no time."

"Yes! Remind me ta hug ya when you do, 'cause I gotta hug ya!"

"Try to keep your voice down, okay?" Annie whispered gently.

"Ooh! Right. Sorry."

"It's okay. You have good reason to be happy."

Suddenly, while Annie was right in the middle of picking the lock, a brief noise caused her to stop and listen. The noise emitted from outside. "Wait a minute."

"What? What's goin' on?"

"Listen. Hear that?"

"Hear what?" B.E.N. whispered cautiously. "Your ears are better than mine. But come to think of it, I can adjust how loud things are in my audio sensors."

"Go to the door. I have a sinking feeling."

"Okay. Gotcha." B.E.N. did as he was told and peeked through the peephole and noticed that Rooks, who had been sleeping right outside, was beginning to stir. At this realization, frightening thoughts of being caught went through the robot's mind, and he began to panic. "Uh-oh," he hissed as quietly as possible. He turned to Annie, who continued picking the stubborn lock. "Eh, ya might wanna pick up the pace there. The big, scary, spider pirate guy's waking up."

"I knew it."

"Ooh. Hurry." B.E.N. looked back through the peephole and caught his breath in his throat. Rooks was already on his insectoid feet. "Okay, go back to sleep now." But the robot's attempt failed.

"Don't worry, I've almost got it."

"He's…he's not falling back asleep. I think we're in big trouble."

"I just about have it."

"We _are_ in big trouble!"

"Come on, stupid lock!"

Rooks was at the door now, staring through the peephole with angry, narrowing insectlike eyes that looked B.E.N. right in the eye, hissing menacingly. B.E.N. jumped back from the arachnian, who exploded through the door with a loud, vicious snarl.

B.E.N. shuddered and grinned nervously. "Ah…hi, Mr. Killer," he said and laughed sheepishly. Rooks loomed over him threateningly, growling.

"I got it! Yes!" Annie exclaimed with triumph abruptly. Finally, the barred door swung up and open. "Come on! We're outta here!"

B.E.N. immediately make a break for the window, but only half of him made it through. Annie started helping him climb through and into the lifeboat, but Rooks lunged and caught B.E.N.'s thin leg! "Ye'll not be escapin'!" Rooks roared.

"Ah! Annie! Help!" B.E.N. cried.

"Fight him!" Annie told him, never letting up her grip on his arms.

"_Fight_ him?" he repeated. "But I never hit any—"

"No, I mean fight his grip!"

"Oh, right." And he pulled at his legs, attempting to loosen Rooks' vile hold, but Rooks proved much stronger than B.E.N. "Quite a grip ya got," he grunted.

"Try jerking your legs," Annie told the robot encouragingly. "_Yank_ from his grip!"

"Gotcha!" B.E.N. then gave it a try. He pulled a bit and yanked his legs right our of Rooks' ruthless grasp, stumbling out of the window headfirst and into the lifeboat outside, finally with Annie once again. He'd landed upside down in the boat.

"Let's go!" Annie exclaimed, thrusting her good hand down hard against the lever, and the lifeboat took right off with a loud _zoooom!_ Away they went, far from the _Black Wing_'s range. In the cavity of the lifeboat, B.E.N. struggled to set himself upright. When he flipped up, he and Annie looked back out at the shrinking ship. Rooks could be heard roaring in rage at the top of his lungs. B.E.N. and Annie laughed out loud as they went, and B.E.N. wrapped Annie up in a big huge as he'd said we would. The two friends were triumphant. Soon the _Black Wing_ was out of sight.

On the _Black _Wing, Rooks snarled angrily and cursed to himself. He then sauntered out of the hold, into the captain's quarters, and over to the sleeping Stronghold, not knowing just what to say to him. "Sir," Rooks hissed.

Stronghold stirred and sat up grumpily in his bed. He fluttered his six eyes open and glanced at Rooks expectantly. "What is it, Rooks?" the captain demanded. "Ye'd better have a good reason for rousin' me at this hour."

"Sir," said Rooks, taking his time, looking over each word carefully before letting it escape from his mandible. "The girl and the robot. They…they've escaped, sir."

"_What!_" roared Stronghold, who shot up with burning rage and clutched Rooks' thin, bony neck, choking him. "Why did ye not inform me of this sooner, ye ingrate?" He then threw Rooks to the floor with great force.

"I…I tried to stop 'em, sir," Rooks rasped in reply, rubbing his neck to sooth the pain Stronghold had just given him. "But they got away from me. That robot and his girl friend were stronger than I realized. Believe me, sir, I don't approve of this anymore than you do."

Stronghold growled and glowered down at the arachnian, clearly still angered by the news of B.E.N. and Annie's escape. "Hang it all! Now I won't get that heap o' treasure I was promised," he whined to himself. He thought for a brief moment, then said, "Fine," taking a seat at his desk and burying his head in his hands. "The boss should have us proceed to Plan B. First we must report back to the boss himself. Send 'er 'round. We're setting course for Draco."

"Aye, sir."

"And Rooks."

"Aye?"

"Tell the cook to get me a tall, stiff brandy. Helps me think straight." (Yeah, right.)

ooo

Back down at the quiet Benbow Inn, everyone and everything was melancholy. Sarah and Morph sat at one of the tables with hopelessness. Morph had been told by Jim to keep Sarah company, but it didn't seem to be working much. The two had been thinking of the well being of B.E.N. and Annie, wondering whether they were safe and sound and whether Jim, Doppler, and Amelia had located them and/or their captors, the pirates.

"It's been too long," Sarah exhaled sadly.

"Too long! Too long!" Morph mimicked with the same feeling.

"Where do you think they could be?"

Morph shook his head, unknowing.

At last, Jim, Doppler, and Amelia arrived back at the inn, coming through the door with the same solemn expressions "Well?" Sarah queried anxiously.

"Our search was in vain, Sarah," replied Doppler regretfully.

"No sign of them," stated Amelia.

"Not of B.E.N., Annie, or the pirates," added Jim. "Not even the constables can find a trace of them anywhere."

"So, their gone?" Sarah advanced.

"I'm afraid so," said Doppler. "And it's very unlikely that those blackguard delinquents would freely and willingly hand them over to us."

Just then, the sound of hover jets met their ears, prompting them all outside the door to investigate. They were able to make out a lifeboat painted black and floating downward towards them. At first they all assumed that it was controlled by a pirate, but then they immediately took notice of a strangely familiar figure with a pair of large, bright, blue eyes. Next to the figure was a catlike alien. Seeing these two figures, Jim, Sarah, Morph, Doppler, and Amelia's hearts were swelling with excitement. They knew now who the figures were. B.E.N. and Annie! They were safe!

"Aloha, Jimmy!" the robot called out happily, waving enthusiastically. "Hello, Doc! Sarah! Morphy! Captain! Great to see ya!"

"Hi, everyone!" Annie called out from the lifeboat as well.

When the boat touched down, she and B.E.N. leapt out to greet the group. It was a frenzy of hugs and warm welcomes back and mentioning of how much everyone missed one another, which lasted a few minutes. And they all stepped inside and settled down at a table.

"How did you two escape the terrible clutches of those pirates?" Doppler wanted to know.

"Well, I tell ya, Doc, it wasn't easy!" said B.E.N.

"All I did was pick a couple of locks and we flew away in a lifeboat," Annie put in simply. "Sneaking past a bunch of sleeping pirates along the way and broke free of an arachnian's grip."

"She helped escape! But I just barely made it out with my legs in tact! That big spider guy almost got me! Boy, was I scared outta my wits or what!"

"Ooh!" Morph chirped with interest.

"Wow," mused Sarah.

"Most impressive," observed Amelia.

"I doubt we'll be seeing those pirates again," finished Annie. "_Ever_ again."

"Yeah," Jim said, "but that still doesn't explain why they were after you, B.E.N."

"The captain said somethin' about delivering me to their boss, whoever the heck _that_ is," B.E.N. replied, unable to provide a better answer.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean delivered? And how would their boss even know about you?"

B.E.N. thought for a second, but his mind was blank. "Not a clue!" he admitted.

ooo

Stronghold and his crew had returned to their boss' quarters in a far off place. The room was colossal and pitch black and dark. The entire room was shrouded in sinister obscurity. A tall being loomed dangerously over Stronghold and his crew from a high throne. The being clutched a long, black staff with a small purple orb at the top end.

"You lost him?" the dark being queried in repetition, his voice even deeper and more booming than Stronghold's.

"He got away from us," Stronghold explained. "It wasn't our fault."

"Hmmm," rumbled the being, who sat back in his throne in thought. "Very well. I shall proceed with Plan B. This time I'll have him for sure."

"And we'll be sure not to let him escape again."

"_You'll_ be sure? You, Stronghold, have failed to complete your mission. What gives you the notion of you and crew setting off again to fetch the little one for me?"

"But if ye'll just give us another chance, sir…" Stronghold protested, but he was interrupted.

"Silence, you fool!" the dark being bellowed. "Stronghold, I say again, you have failed. You and your crew are of no further use to me."

"No, sir! Please!"

"I said silence! You must face the consequences!"

The dark being casually waved a hand over the orb of his staff and the orb began to pulse with a purple glow. A distant roar echoed throughout the room, frightening the cowardly pirates. "Devianta's spirit hungers for nourishment," the dark being sneered with a toothy grin.

And out of the orb twisted a purple stream of transparent material in the shape of a ravenous serpent, its eyes shining blood red. The phantom increased in size significantly, looming right above Stronghold, who was frozen on the spot from sheer horror. The creature parted its jaws, grabbed Stronghold in its huge maw, and he disappeared down its throat. Then the creature vanished back into the orb. The frightened crewmembers clutched their necks and winced in disgust. Their captain was long gone.

"His perish was quick and painless," the dark being said simply. "Your punishments will be quite the opposite, however."

The pirates screamed in terror and scrambled about the floor of the room in a feeble attempt to escape the dark being, who down-pointed his staff at them. "Don't you run from me, you lot of swines." A flash sparked from the staff's orb. The spark made contact with the pirates and they all transformed into furry, tusk-mouthed, squealing pigs! The dark being bellowed out in laughter at the sight, amused. Then, two guards herded the pigs out of the room to be slaughtered later on.

The dark being ceased his laughter and turned to a larger orb off to the right of his throne. In it flashed moving, soundless images of B.E.N. surrounded by his friends. The dark being could see that there was a conversation going on, and he grinned malevolently into the orb.

"Soon, little one," the dark being mused to himself in a low ominous tone. "Soon."

To be continued…

Oooohh…scary. What did I tell you? A lot of foreshadowing right there. Wanna know what happens next? Well, just wait for the next chapter! Don't forget to review. Thank you!


	5. The Care and Feeding of Dragons

Here comes the first dragon I promised into the Treasure Planet universe! Also, the glitch issue is over and has been forgotten. No more worries for B.E.N., or so he thinks (hint, hint).

**Chapter Five: The Care and Feeding of Dragons**

"B.E.N.?" Sarah, who was serving customers with Morph's help, called upstairs the very next morning. "What are you doing up there?" But she received absolutely no response from the robot, which was extremely strange and unusual. Normally, B.E.N. would react immediately to a call addressed to him. Not this morning, however. Little B.E.N. was caught up in an entrancing dream that had him trapped in sound and peaceful slumber.

—

_B.E.N.'s body seemed to have transformed into a strange, reptilian creature. What was even more shocking was that he had flesh! His neck was long and thick, he had a long tail, and a pair of huge, batlike wings had grown on his back. He also had a pair of horns on his head._

_He was sitting contentedly upon the roof of a building right across from the Benbow Inn, watching the moon set and dawn begin to paint the dark sky with bright and joyous colors. _

_Just then, he caught sight of another strange creature, one that had the same appearance as he had except that it was smaller and silver in color instead of copper. Observing more closely, he could see now that the creature was female; since B.E.N. was male, he was the one with the horns. The female creature pumped her wings, rising up from behind the cliffs, caring a small, round object in her fore claws. _

_Now B.E.N. could see that she was being hunted down by two more of the same strange creature. They were male, on account of the horns on their heads. But the two were black in color with blood-red eyes. The look of them frightened B.E.N._

_The silver creature panted heavily as she continued to pump her wings, formulating a plan in her mind on how to protect the object she carried and how to elude her pursuers. Coming upon the Benbow Inn, she swooped down low, quickly placed the object in the mailbox just outside the inn, and picked up a rock that was conveniently the same shape and size as the object. She did all this in that one single swooping motion. _

_She then took a graceful dive down in between the mining cliffs, down below the inn with the black creatures diving in after her. Now she could care less if she was caught. She knew her object was safe from prying eyes and greedy hands, within the protection of the mailbox and soon the one destined to possess it._

_B.E.N. winced at the sight of a fiery glow emitting from below the cliffs, a feminine roar of agony piercing the night air. _Oh, no,_ he thought mournfully. _That was not fair! Not fair at all!

_Hold on._

_What was this bizarre light, coming from the mailbox?_

_Only one way to find out._

_Spreading his own wings, B.E.N. awkwardly flew down from his high perch and in front of the mailbox to investigate. Opening the box, he pulled out the object and found that it was glowing a bright white color. The sight enthralled him. He stood there, staring at the glowing object._

My dragon keeper…_a feminine voice boomed and echoed inside his head._ I've been waiting for you…I'm coming….

_Suddenly, the light grew so bright that it blanketed the entire landscape in an endless field of white. Then B.E.N.'s world went black. _

—

"B.E.N.? Come on, B.E.N.!"

His eyes blinked wide open, Sarah's call finally getting through to him. Hearing her, the robot realized how late in the morning it was. "Ah! I overslept!" he cried. "Bad B.E.N.! Bad!" he scolded himself. He slapped himself in the face, shot like lightning out of his room and downstairs into the kitchen. He doubled back in surprise to see Annie.

"Hi, B.E.N.," she greeted with a smile. "Sleep well?"

B.E.N. was embarrassed that she knew how late he'd slept in, so he grinned bashfully and chuckled nervously, placing one hand behind his back, the other rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "Yes, well, I, uh…" he stammered and cleared his throat. "That is…well, it's just that I…"

"Hey, don't even sweat it, it's okay. You're not in trouble. I made sure of it for you."

"Really? Oh, good," B.E.N. sighed for relief. One of his biggest fears was getting yelled at or punished for something bad he would never have any intention of doing. Sometimes his curiosity and humble and sunny nature got the better of him; he was cheery and enthusiastic almost to a fault. He was grateful to his new friend for doing him the favor when he never even asked for it. "You're the best pal a robot could ever have, Annie! Jimmy, too, of course."

"No problem. I still feel like I owe you for saving my life."

"Do ya? Aw, well, you don't _have_ to do all that for me. But it's real nice of ya!"

The subject changed immediately the very next instant. A loud, metallic gurgle erupted from an obvious place. Startled by the noise, B.E.N. glanced down at his middle and realized his electronic digestive unit was empty (we'll just call it a stomach, okay?). "Whoops," he laughed sheepishly, knowing that Annie had heard. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Was that you?" Annie was just as startled as he was, now knowing that B.E.N. had an appetite like everyone else.

"Yep, I've got this _big_ craving worked up. I mean, getting caught by vicious pirates and almost losing your limbs makes you pretty hungry, don't you think, Annie?"

"It sure does," Annie giggled in agreement. "But I've already had my fill." She began to make her way out of the kitchen. Turning her head back to B.E.N., she added, "Better get your fill quickly. Your customers are as hungry as you are. I'll be seeing you. I have a few orders to fill." And the felinid stepped out of the kitchen.

"Okay, well, I'll just be…eh…yeah!" Well, what else was there to say? "Boy, she's a _fantastic_ little gal," he said to himself. His thoughts were disrupted by another hungry grumble from his stomach. "Uh, right. Breakfast." The robot fetched something with which to satiate himself, some metal scraps and pure, black petroleum.

His hunger sated, B.E.N. was about to see to his usual duties as well as working further on the preparation for the dinner, but he was stopped dead in his tracks. _My dragon keeper…_rang a whispering voice from out of nowhere. The voice sounded distant and resonated throughout the room. The tone sounded vaguely familiar.

"Huh? What was…who-who said that?" B.E.N. asked to the empty air. Confused, he scratched the top of his head. "_That_ was sure strange. Oh, well, probably the imagination of an old robot," he shrugged with a nervous laugh. Then he returned to his work, completely forgetting what had just happened.

Out in the dining room, Jim came up to B.E.N. "Hey, B.E.N.?" Jim asked. "Did my package arrive in the mail yet?"

The robot's eyes widened, and he panicked. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. "Ah! The mail! I forgot! Ooh! Bad B.E.N.!" B.E.N. slapped his head and shot off towards the door, shouting behind him, "Be right back, Jimmy!"

"It's okay, B.E.N." Jim said after him. "It's just mail."

But right when B.E.N. was about to rush out the door, the same voice came to him a second time with the same distance and echo in its tone, soft and gentle, stopping him in his tracks again. _I've been waiting for you…_said the voice. B.E.N. was more alarmed because it had come to him more than once. Whirling about and panning around, he tried to find the source.

"All right, who's the wise guy? Who's talking to me?"

He froze when he noticed that everyone had halted all conversation, all eyes on him. _This_ was embarrassing. So, he searched his mind for a convincing cover-up. "Eh, that is to say…who's talking to me? I…I can hear ya, but I can't… see…you?" Now the front door he was conveniently standing next to looked like a good get-away from the lot of staring eyes. Finally, he blurted out, "Gottagetthemail! Bye!" and he disappeared out the door.

Outside, B.E.N. wiped a bead of oil that had leaked from his forehead, sighing for relief. "Whew!" And he remembered Jim's expected package as he approached the mailbox. Opening it, he peeked inside curiously and pulled out a round object that was wrapped up in brown paper and tied shut with thin twine. Its size matched that of the Treasure Planet map (which was long gone along with the planet itself), but a third of that size larger.

"Hello there. Is _this_ what Jimmy ordered from that catalog? Kinda on the smallish side." B.E.N. weighed the object in his hands. It felt a little heavy and delicate, like an egg. But _was_ it an egg? He couldn't quite tell.

"I think they got the orders mixed around or something, personally," B.E.N. said to Jim when he went back inside and showed Jim the package. "And _any_way…"

"Well, they must've," replied Jim, examining the object. "This tag here says it's addressed to _you_, B.E.N."

Hearing this, B.E.N. was overcome with excitement. "Me?" Jim gave the package back to him. "But I've never _ever _gotten mail before! Ooh! This is fantastic!"

Everyone who'd heard what B.E.N. had just said looked on in bewilderment. Annie spoke out what the question the others were thinking. "You've never gotten mail before? Ever? You're kidding!"

"Would I be so happy if I _was_ kidding? This is one of the greatest things that's ever happed to me in my whole entire life! I-I-I-I can't even _wait_ to open it. I _gotta_ see what it is! I just _gotta!_"

But just as he was about to move a hand to loosen the twine, the voice came again, this time louder, but not without its original grace. _I'm coming…_it said.

B.E.N.'s bright expression of excitement disappeared and was replaced with one of remorse. "Oh, not again," he moaned.

"What's wrong, B.E.N.?" Annie queried. She seemed to be the only one really concerned for the robot.

For a split second, B.E.N. felt a single pulse of light and color behind his eyes. All these inexplicable occurrences were scrambling his mind somewhat. It was hard to figure out. It was like a puzzle. Placing a hand on his head, B.E.N. said, "Ya know what's strange? I can't tell ya how _frustrating_ this is, Annie. Th-the-there's something that's—it's, it's, it's _nagging_ at the back of my mind…."

"Maybe, if you're not feeling well, you should go upstairs and rest in your room," Annie suggested kindly.

But something else happened in B.E.N.'s mind that caused him to brighten up. "Wow! Now I feel better! That was weird, I'm tellin' ya!" he laughed.

But Jim and Sarah thought otherwise of B.E.N., particularly Jim, unlike Annie. Jim was especially beginning to believe that B.E.N. was losing bits and pieces of his mind all over again, that he might be going insane or something to that sort of extent. Either way, Jim was not feeling as concerned as he was troubled by the idea of B.E.N. going insane. That had already happened once before.

Jim quickly reviewed the past events of the morning. First off, B.E.N. was out of bed unusually late, then he freaked out about forgetting the mail, then he appeared to have been hallucinating, and now he was having sudden but very mild mood swings; happy then bothered then happy again.

Jim's suspicion of B.E.N.'s loss of how much sanity he still had brought him to saying, "You should go anyway." He then began to force B.E.N. upstairs by pushing him from the back.

"But-but-but Jimmy, Jimmy…" B.E.N. tried to protest, but he was shoved into his room anyway. Before Jim closed the door, B.E.N. blurted out, "Wait! Jimmy! I keep hearing this voice inside my head!"

"Heh, voice. Inside your head. Right," Jim scoffed sarcastically, obviously not believing the little robot.

"No-no! It's true! I'm telling you, I am hearing something _and it's freaking me out!_ Come on, Jimmy! Ya _gotta believe_ me!"

Jim sighed, exasperated. "Sorry, B.E.N. I think you've been working yourself too hard lately. And it's time you got some R n' R (which means rest and relaxation, incase you never knew). Believe _me_." With all said and done, he closed the door, leaving a befuddled B.E.N. alone in his room with his unexpected package.

"Why'd you do that, Jim?" Annie demanded as Jim came back downstairs. "I know he may be a bit crazy, but he's not _that_ crazy! You may not be able to see it, but I know for a fact that he's not going insane."

"Don't worry, Annie, B.E.N. will be fine," Jim replied. "I don't know if he's losing it or not. But all the same, he obviously needs rest."

"Okay. Fine. I guess." Annie could only sulk, not that it did her any good.

Up in his room, B.E.N. said to himself, "Well, I guess it's for the best. Oh, well. At least I get ta see what's in this package!" That was a definite plus. "I can't wait to see what it is!"

Overjoyed, he went over to his bed, set the object on the covers, untied the twine, and opened up the brown paper. As soon as the mystery object was revealed, it flashed a bright light that made B.E.N. squint. When the light faded, he gawked at what he saw.

An egg! The shell swirled with a beautiful blend of blue, white, and gold that glittered under the sunlight that poured in through the window. B.E.N. couldn't help smiling in his gape. The sight was oh-so breathtaking. He'd never seen an egg like this in his entire life. "Wow," he said to himself. "Isn't that just _pretty!_"

He slowly reached his hand towards the egg to examine it, but he stopped and withdrew his hand because he had begun to hear bells. Cathedral bells. "Hey, what gives? Is it the next hour already?" He looked at the egg and saw that it was cracking on top and shaking violently. "Ah! It's hatching! It's hatching!"

B.E.N. drew close to the egg to see what was going to hatch out of it. The egg itself began to glow a soft, white light. A tiny, golden claw could be seen piercing the shell where the cracks had appeared. As the thing inside the egg progressed, the ringing bells in B.E.N.'s ears grew louder. So loud, in fact, he had to cover his ears, but it wasn't any good. These bells were ringing inside his head!

"Ah! Too loud! Too loud for me!" B.E.N. cried out, now holding his head. Just as suddenly as he'd said it, the little creature poked its head through the cracks of the egg and the bells in B.E.N.'s head just…stopped. He lowered his hands. "Whew," he sighed for relief.

The only other thing breaking the abrupt silence was the tiny trills and cries of the little creature. And that drew B.E.N.'s attention to it. His lower jaw dropped at what he saw stumble out of the eggshell. "Ah-ah…I…I…I don't believe it!" he exclaimed, jumping back and grabbing his head. "It's…it's… why…that's…it can't be. It just can't be, but it is! That's a…a little, baby dragon! Oh! I can't believe my eyes! A real, live, baby dragon! Just like from Annie's story!"

It was true! The dragon had smooth, white skin, little golden dorsal spines down its back, a golden arrow-tipped tail, tiny golden talons, a pale belly, a pair of tiny, ribbed wings, and big, beautiful, blue eyes! Not to mention it had cute, little eye lashes, so B.E.N. assumed it was a female. It was the most remarkable thing he'd ever seen!

The tiny creature crawled out from the remains of the eggshell and shook some of the pieces off her back like a dog. She sat there, stared up at B.E.N., and trilled curiously.

"Awww, aren't you just the sweetest little thing!" Drawing close, the robot began to inch his index finger to the dragon to stroke her head. She cried out in a tiny roar, reared back slightly, and nipped at B.E.N.'s finger with the only four fangs she had.

"Yowch!" he cried and withdrew. Then he realized. "Hey, you know, actually…that didn't hurt much at all. Are you trying to play?" he asked in a teasing voice. "Is that it? Huh? You trying to play?"

The dragon rolled over onto her back and panted and trilled happily, like a puppy, wagging her little tail. B.E.N. just couldn't help himself. He used his index finger and tickled her little belly, causing her to squirm with sheer delight. He was feeling just as happy and giddy as the dragon was. "Who's a cute little dragon, huh? Aww, that's right. Yes. You are. Yes, you are."

All the time the two played, B.E.N. had completely forgotten his worries. He gave out a sigh after laughing so much that it hurt. They'd played for about ten minutes.

Then an idea for a name came over him. "I think I'll call you Bella," he said. "Just 'cause you're so darn pretty."

—

Annie sat at one of the tables downstairs, thinking about how B.E.N. must have felt when he was forced up into is room just because Jim suspected him of going insane. Part of her was saying that is was best, but her gut told her to check on him, and if her gut told her then she would do as it said. So, she went upstairs.

"Hey, B.E.N.?" she called through the door, knocking and then inviting herself in.

Her sudden presence caused B.E.N. and his new dragon to jump in surprise. "Ah! Oh! Uh, hi, Annie!" the robot exclaimed just as Bella hid behind him on the bed while he stood to Annie.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the felinid apologized.

"Oh! No! No, no, no. Just, uh, just a startle." He decided then to keep Bella a secret, even from one of his best friends.

"So, what have you been doing up here for the past half hour? I thought I heard you shouting in pain and then…laughing. You sure you're all right?"

"Oh! Yeah! We're just—I mean—_I'm_ just…uh, just _hunky-dory_, yep! That's me," he laughed.

"Okay, now you sound like you're hiding something."

"I-_I'm_ not hiding anything! _Especially_ not a dra-aaahhh—" he caught himself a second too late, "—oh, _bad_ B.E.N.!"

"It's okay," Annie giggled. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

Behind the robot, Bella whined in distress. "Aw, don't be scared," B.E.N. crooned. "She's one of by best pals." Reassured, the dragon allowed B.E.N. to step aside and reveal her to Annie, who dropped her jaw in a gasp at the sight of Bella, completely stunned on the spot. "Bella, meet Annie. Annie, meet Bella."

She was speechless for a short moment, the reality of a creature like Bella sinking in. "Oh, my gosh!" Annie finally said, still gaping. "A real—" she lowered her voice, "—a real dragon! I've always believed them to be real, but I never thought I'd actually get to _meet_ one!"

"Yeah!" B.E.N. agreed happily. "Me, too! Isn't she just the prettiest thing you've ever seen in your whole entire life or what?"

"Of course!" Annie then noticed bits and pieces of eggshell, a brown piece of paper, and twine sitting there on the bed near the dragon and began to put two and two together. "Wait. Was she what came in the mail for you?"

"You bet! Isn't that fantastic?"

"Sure is." Then something crept its way into Annie's mind. "Hey I've got an idea. Why don't you and I go over to Doctor Doppler's and see what we can research as far as information on dragons? It'd make it easier to take care of her."

"Yeah! That's a great idea! I like that idea!" B.E.N. quickly turned to Bella. "Don't you worry, Bella," he promised in a way he thought the dragon would understand. "Annie and I will be right back, so stay here and be a good little girl. Can ya do that? Huh?"

Bella only stared for a moment. What B.E.N. was unaware of was that she could see a vivid picture in his mind of him and Annie returning after leaving. She trilled, indicating that she understood. With that, the two left for the Doppler's.

Annie said to herself, "Bella. What a pretty name."

—

"Books on dragons?" Doppler repeated after B.E.N. and Annie had arrived and asked about the subject. The doctor thought about this and answered, "Well, I might have some on dragons, but all the books I have on dragons are from my days as a boy. As I grew older, I knew that dragons are only silly fables and don't actually exist. Uh, why the sudden interest, I might ask?"

That question caught the two friends off their guard. Bella's existence had to be kept secret, so they thought of a cover story. "Oh, well," Annie started off, "see, I was told stories about dragons and I began to imagine what they would be like if they were real, so I decided to do a bit of research."

"And why are _you_ here, B.E.N.?" Doppler inquired.

"Ah…I'm helping!" the robot replied. "Yeah! With the researching thing."

"Oh. All right then. There's a case in the back room of the study that's full of those musty, old things from my younger years, if you like."

"Thanks, Doc!" The two eagerly made their way into the study.

"But be careful!" Doppler called after them.

"Will do!"

The back room was small, old, and ultimately untidy. But in no time, B.E.N. and Annie found the case Doppler had mentioned and in it the books they'd been seeking.

But everything was completely blanketed in dust, which spewed everywhere when the case was opened and the dust reached B.E.N.'s face. "Ah-ah-AH-_CHOO!_" he sneezed loudly.

"Gesundheit," said Annie as B.E.N. sniffed.

They looked through the books with distain, finding that most of them were of dragons capturing helpless princesses and then being slain by knights that came to rescue the princesses. And these illustrated dragons looked nothing like Bella or the dragons from Annie's story. After having seen Bella, the two friends concluded that none of the stories in these books were true about dragons at all. They were all misconceptions and of no help. But B.E.N. and Annie kept on searching.

At the peak of their investigation, ravenous famine gnawed once again at the wirings in B.E.N.'s stomach, expressing itself in a loud, metallic gurgle. "Whoops!"

Annie, who had been turned away from the robot and looking through books, directed her attention to him in confusion. "You _did_ have something to eat this morning, right?"

"Of course, I did!" B.E.N. was getting worried. "At least, I _think_ I did." He grabbed his head, somewhat overcome with anxiety. "My brain parts are possibly messed up or _something!_"

"That's strange," Annie mused. "So, why are you're hungry again?"

"Not a clue! I've _never_ been _this_ hungry before! Well, once," he admitted, patting his middle for emphasis. "When I was first stranded on Treasure Planet, but let's not get into that." He was startled by another metallic gurgle. "Oh, for heaven's sake."

"You think it might have something to do with…?" The felinid's voice trailed off in thought.

Then they both realized something and cried out to one another in unison, "Bella!" Panic-stricken, they made a mad haste back to the Benbow.

—

When they returned to B.E.N.'s room, he and Annie found no trace of Bella. Fear of the dragon having gotten herself in danger rose significantly in the two friends. B.E.N.'s stomach grumbled in yet another metallic gurgle, erupting like a volcano. And then came the distant, high-pitched cries of…Morph?

"It's coming from Jim's room," Annie announced, having the better hearing.

The two followed the noise and burst into Jim's room, shocked and relieved all at once. Bella was chasing a frightened Morph all around the room. She appeared extremely eager enough to try to catch and even _eat_ Morph! This still did not explain why B.E.N. was so hungry, but his hunger wasn't an issue at the moment.

"Oh, no, this is not good!" he cried.

"You have to do something. She's your dragon."

"Bella! _Bad_ Bella! You can't eat little Morphy!" he scolded, but the dragon ignored him. "Oh, it's not working!"

In his mind, he quickly tried to think of a way to get Bella to settle down and know that Morph was not to ever become her prey. Unconsciously, he created a vivid picture in his mind of Bella ceasing her negative behavior and of himself saying to her _Stop!_ Extraordinarily, Bella screeched to a halt in her chase, staring up at B.E.N. with big, blue, innocent eyes.

Morph believed he was still being hunted, looked back to see that he wasn't any longer, and slammed into the wall. He broke into little protoplasmic pieces and put himself back together again, dazed.

The fact that Bella had stopped so abruptly as soon as he'd thought of the word startled him. "Uh…_I_ didn't say anything," he said, lifting his hands in a defensive manner. "Unless she just read my mind or something. 'Cause I didn't say a _word!_"

"You didn't have to."

"Huh?"

"I forgot to tell you," Annie confessed, somewhat guilty. "Something else about my story. See, anyone who took care of a dragon was called a dragon keeper. And when the dragon hatches, the keeper and the dragon immediately form a telepathic bond, a mental link. I believed it to be true, but it's always been unheard of in real life, until now. She had the strong need to hunt—that's her instinct—and she sent her hunger to you."

B.E.N. was dumbfounded for a few seconds, trying to piece all this new information together. "Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, _wait_ a minute! You mean to say that she and I can read each other's minds and stuff?"

Annie nodded, and B.E.N. laughed almost in a shudder.

_I'm very hungry_, a high-pitched whining voice boomed in his head. It sounded a lot like that of a five-year-old girl.

"Whoa! Hello! _That_ was weird." Once more his stomach grumbled ravenously. "Well, somebody's hungry, and it's not me!"

Annie instantly came up with a plan. "How about I get the meat? If _you_ do it, people will suspect you of hiding something."

"That's a good plan. I like that plan."

But she changed her mind. "No. Maybe _you_ should get the meat, and milk too. And you're gonna need a plate and a bowl as well. After all, you're her dragon keeper now."

"Ehhh, yeah, good point."

"I'll keep her company up here while you try not to get caught."

"Rrrright." The idea wasn't what he would come up with, but Annie was right. _He_ had to be the one to take care of Bella. "Okay, so I'll just slip downstairs, get the meat, and come right back up." Bella saw the pictures in B.E.N.'s head of himself taking the action as he said he would. She understood what had to be done. "Good plan. Be back in a jiff!" And he disappeared out the door and swiftly made his way downstairs.

"All right," B.E.N. said to himself under his breath. "Don't panic. Breathing in, breathing out. What's so hard about getting a little meat and milk?"

Entering the kitchen, he went over to the cabinet and took out a small plate and a bowl. So far, so good. He hadn't been seen yet, thank goodness. Next he went over to the icebox and pulled out a chunk of meat and a carton of milk. Then he began to make his way out. But as soon as he turned, Sarah blocked him from his exit, looking him down sternly. "Oh, no! It's you!" he cried. "I mean, hi, Mrs. H. Having a good day?"

"B.E.N., what are you doing with the meat?" Sarah wanted to know. "You know we need it for tonight." B.E.N. hesitated with a nervous laugh. "Tell me what you're doing with that meat."

"Eh…protein! Yeah." Was that the best he could come up with?

Sarah seemed unconvinced and stared the robot down with a look of skepticism. "Uh-huh. And what about that milk?"

"Calcium?"

Sarah kept staring him down, still unbelieving.

"All right! I confess! It's for Annie!"

"Well, you could've just told me."

"Right. Right, sorry. Heh-heh-heh."

Still nerve-wracked, he bolted out the door and back upstairs into his room, breathing out a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind him. Bella happily downed her meat and milk, her hunger finally sated.

In fact, Bella's satisfaction was sent right to B.E.N. After eating, her belly was so full that slumber began to hover over them both. "You know what's strange? Suddenly I feel so…sleepy…can't stay awake…" B.E.N. yawned drowsily. "Think I'll…I'll…take a nice…long…" Yawning a second time, while Bella curled up peacefully on the bed covers, B.E.N. allowed his legs to give way under his body, and he fell lazily on the bed next to Bella. "Nappy-time." And he and Bella drifted off to sleep.

Annie chortled in amusement to herself and snuck quietly out of the room while B.E.N. and Bella shared tranquil dreams.

Tonight would be the night of the dinner. Annie was sure to wake B.E.N. in about an hour so that he would have enough time to help prepare. For now, she just let him sleep with his new and beautiful dragon.

—

The dark being, sitting in his tall throne, noticed something in the image that his large crystal globe showed. He grinned and evil grin, saying to himself as if to the subject in the image, "Sleep well, little one. Soon you and your dragon will belong to me."

He then bellowed out in an evil laugh just to add to his brief monologue, but he coughed and wheezed from the strain that the laughing put on his throat and ordered one of his servants to fetch him a glass of water. After downing his water, he went right back to his "laugh of evil."

To be continued…

—

What do you think? Isn't Bella cute:3 See? Dragons _are_ real! And I decided I wanted the dark being to be a little more like Evil Emperor Zurg. You know, the big, seemingly powerful, diabolical guy who loves to gloat. You'll see a little bit more of this as the story goes along. Don't forget to send a review! Thank you!


	6. Wild Dinner Party!

There are two characters in this chapter that were inspired by Mr. And Mrs. Everglot from _Corpse Bride_. They are the Crumbletons that I've been hinting about. Instead of having a daughter, the Crumbletons have a 7-year-old son. And only the parents are full of themselves. Not surprising. Enjoy!

**Chapter Six: A Wild Dinner Party!**

It was now around 6:30pm.

Throughout the day, B.E.N. had been growing accustomed to the mental link he and Bella shared. He even learned how to communicate with her out loud and through telepathy at the same time. And he and Annie were keeping the dragon as secret as possible so as not to allow danger come to her, seeing as she was fragile as a baby. Thankfully, she would be much stronger as she grew in size and wisdom.

Everything was ready for the long-awaited dinner party with the Crumbletons. Annie had asked Sarah how they were able to pull it off. Sarah had explained that ever since B.E.N. had become a new addition to the family and the Benbow had been rebuilt after a horrible fire, business had skyrocketed, so that brought in huge amounts of profits, which was enough to set up the dinner.

In his room, B.E.N. was preparing himself, putting on his new baby-blue suit and cobalt blue bowtie and white flower on his chest. He looked himself over in the mirror dozens of times. Bella had been watching him with much curiosity, sitting on a dresser.

_What are you wearing?_ the dragon asked of B.E.N.

"It's a suit," he replied in explanation cheerfully. "All waiters gotta wear 'em."

_What's a waiter?_

"It's someone who brings food out to people."

_Oh. Who are the people?_

"Well, there are these guests we're having over and they like everything fancy and things like that. So I gotta look my best for 'em."

_Can I meet them?_

B.E.N. could see that Bella was still somewhat naïve. That was typical in young creatures and children. "Um…no offense or anything, but they'd probably _freak out_ if they saw something like you. They aren't exactly dragon people."

_Oh, I see._

"Oh! And I…" He was hesitant. "I can't…really have you…eh, talking to me. You know, like you are now. That would keep me from doing my job, you know, as a waiter, and I would get in trouble. Possibly _big_ trouble."

_All right. I promise not to talk._

"That's my girl," B.E.N. cooed, patting Bella on the head.

"B.E.N.! The Crumbletons will be here any minute!" Jim called from downstairs.

"That's my cue!" The robot made his way out the door, but not before saying to Bella, "Bye! I'll see you later. Be a good girl?"

Bella could make out yet another vivid image in B.E.N.'s mind. It depicted Bella staying put until he returned. She nodded and chirruped in affirmation. When B.E.N. had left, she crawled off of the dresser and over to the closed door, waiting patiently for her keeper's return, flaring her nostrils in thought.

Down in the kitchen where B.E.N. had gone, he and Annie were hard at work on the dinner, which Annie had agreed to help prepare as well as serve.

Most of the quests were arriving and Sarah and Jim sat them down at the long, neatly adorned table. But the entire ensemble was all to impress the Crumbletons, and no one was to be served until the Crumbletons arrived.

As soon as everyone was seated, Sarah stood at the end of the table, Jim sat in his own seat right near her, and Morph floated by. B.E.N. and Annie stood off from the table. Sarah began a friendly little speech to the guests.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight, everyone," Sarah announced to the guests. "First of all, we have a very special guest joining us. Please welcome Annie Norrington." Annie shyly walked up to the front of the table as the lot of guests clapped for her. Saying her greetings, she stepped aside and allowed Sarah to speak further. "All right. Well, the Crumbletons should be here any second. So, I'd like for all of us to give them a warm welcome, all right?" Everyone agreed.

Sarah turned to B.E.N. and Annie and ordered them to check on the dinner so they would be ready to serve the guests of honor as soon as they stepped through the door. Saluting in affirmation, B.E.N. and Annie rushed into the kitchen. They would be ready to greet the Crumbletons and bring out the starting meal.

Upstairs in B.E.N.'s room, Bella paced back and forth in front of the closed door, her patience beginning to wear thin.

Back down in the dinning area, the front door sounded with a soft knock. Jim rushed in response and opened it. There they were, the Crumbletons themselves. The aliens were very elephant-like. Their ears were small and flat and had short fat trunks. One was a tall and skinny female and the other was a short, stout male. These two were the husband and wife. Their one son, who was tiny, stood between them, wearing an old-English outfit.

Jim smiled at the boy, seeing how shy and cute he was, unlike his parents. The boy reminded him of one that he'd met a long time ago. His name was Ethan, who had a loving father.

"Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Crumbleton," Jim greeted gentlemanly. "Come right in, make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you, young sir," said Mrs. Crumbleton without looking at Jim at all as she, her husband, and her son stepped inside. Her voice was deep and possessed a snooty tone. She then whispered to her husband, "The place seems smaller than I had imagined."

"It is an inn, dear," replied Mr. Crumbleton almost out loud, as if he intended Jim to hear their conversation. "What did you expect?" The husband's voice was pinched with a slight slur and was much deeper than his wife's.

Jim _had_ heard their comments and his brows furrowed angrily. The boy, however, was amazed at how many people were here. He was excited. Jim was at least grateful that the boy was nothing like his persnickety parents.

Just then, B.E.N. openly approached the Crumbletons with a bright expression. Annie joined him, but not as openly. "Good evening, Lord and Ladyship," the robot greeted. "My name is B.E.N. and this is Annie. We will be your servers tonight." He almost laughed.

The little boy giggled in amusement. In his eyes, B.E.N. was comical like a friendly clown. The boy hoped to be seeing more of him later on, imagining the robot performing in a comedic fashion or some sort of skit.

"Please come in," Annie added.

"Thank you," said Mr. Crumbleton, though his gratitude was a façade. "Yes, a pleasure indeed." Then his wife leaned in to hear the next comment. "The metal man is very jubilant for a primitive machine."

"Yes, remind me never to get one like that next time we need a robot butler," added the Mrs.

Having heard that comment, B.E.N. was hurt, his eyes saddening. "Don't let them get to you," Annie told him kindly. He nodded and threw the subject to very back reserves of his mind, smiling as he moved to the dinner table and offered three empty chairs for the Crumbletons. Annie reluctantly moved into the kitchen, saying that she would bring out the first dish momentarily. B.E.N. followed suit. Soon the dinner began.

Conversations overlapped as they were exchanged from one person to the next. At one time, Mr. and Mrs. Crumbleton ruled the next conversation. The two bragged on endlessly of Mr. Crumbleton's accomplishments in bullyadous hunting. Doppler was becoming ill, seeing as he _owned_ his own bullyadous named Delilah, but he never said a word. He merely forced a smile through his wince and nodded in fake approval.

Up in B.E.N.'s room, Bella's patience had worn thread thin. Whining to herself, she suddenly stopped her pacing to find that her belly felt empty. She was dreadfully hungry. The mental link was set off, beginning to kick in again.

Downstairs, B.E.N. and Annie brought out the next course for the dinner. This was the main course of the evening.

Just as the two began to walk back into the kitchen, something stopped B.E.N. dead in his tracks. "Uh-oh," he said quietly to Annie.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Following was a loud, uncontrollable, metallic grumble from B.E.N.'s stomach. He shuddered silently as he straightened, knowing that Bella was communicating her hunger through him, just as she had done earlier that same day. Now was a bad time.

"What was that noise?" Mrs. Crumbleton demanded, causing a painful silence to rest among the large group.

B.E.N. thought quickly for a cover-up and forced a nervous smile and turned on his heel to face the others, trying to control his need to fidget. "Ah, noise?" he said. "What noise? _I_ didn't hear a noise. Annie, did you hear a noise?"

"Uh, no," Annie replied, playing along. "I didn't hear anything either."

The dinner continued with everyone assuming that it was nothing.

Then the sound of claws scratching against wood could be heard coming from upstairs. The scratches overlapped with no sign of stopping. Morph, being a sort of animal, was the only one who could hear them. Curious he floated up and over the stairwell to find the source. Coming to B.E.N.'s bedroom door, the little blob transformed into a gloved hand and turned the knob, opening the door. Bella was released!

At this, Morph returned to his original form, cried out and retreated frantically, back to his master's shoulder.

Bella eagerly trotted around on the floor and leapt up onto the stair railing that overlooked the dining area below. She could smell a rainbow of different delicious scents. Then she spotted B.E.N. near the table. Squealing, she spread her little wings and took a dive, gliding under the table to hide. Then she climbed up the tablecloth and arrived on the food-adorned table itself, ready to grab a morsel, completely unseen.

B.E.N.'s eyes widened at the sight of his dragon on the table. Thankfully, no one but he and Annie could see her. Still, despite that she couldn't be seen by anyone else, she was going to cause a panic. "Ah!" he cried, startled by Bella's sudden presence, dropping a full platter, which clattered loudly upon impact on the floor.

All eyes turned on B.E.N. "What's wrong?" Jim asked.

"I…uh…_nothing!_ Nothing, Jimmy! Why do you ask?" he tried to cover-up. He then gasped when he spotted Bella attempting a grab at Mr. Crumbleton's meat from behind a large bowl. "_Bella! Don't!_" he screamed and leapt for the dragon in hopes of catching her. What he did instead was cause food to fly in his wake when he hit the table, and Bella escaped his grasping hands.

Every guest, including Jim and Sarah, was drenched in the mess of food, appalled.

B.E.N. found Bella playfully hovering above him, and he stood up on the table, trying again to catch her, but she evaded him. He was unaware of an even bigger mess he was causing. Bella hovered more to one end of the table. B.E.N. followed her, his weight shifting to that one side, creating an imbalance. The other end of the table flew up with the other end collapsing under his weight and causing himself to fall hard to the ground. Plates, bowls, silverware, and food were everywhere and splattering across the entire room. Now everyone was in a panic. The whole scramble continued for several minutes.

Annie jumped up and caught Bella in her good hand (her left arm is still in the sling). When B.E.N. got to his feet in the midst of angry and chattering people, Bella was given to him. He then told her to hide in his room until he was back with her. She understood and was allowed to scurry back upstairs and into B.E.N.'s room. The poor robot had a sinking feeling that he was in huge trouble.

"Uh, the situation is under control, people!" B.E.N. tried to say, but he was ignored.

"Atten-_tion!_" Jim commanded as loudly as possible. That did it. The episode finally ceased. "For those of you who hadn't heard, B.E.N. said that the situation was under control. I would offer some thanks, but I don't think I can." Jim shot B.E.N. a look of accusation. "It was his fault anyway." B.E.N. shrank back.

A long silence swept through the room. Annie was angry at Jim for possibly thinking that B.E.N. had actually intended this whole mess to happen.

"Time to go," Doppler suggested abruptly. The guests then began to file out the front door, the Crumbletons the last to leave. The Mr. and Mrs. turned back a moment, looking at Jim and Sarah with scorn. "Never again will you see us here," said the Mr.

"Count on it!" added the Mrs.

"That was the best dinner ever!" their son exclaimed happily before he left with his parents. The door slammed shut behind them.

A few seconds of silence later, Annie came up to the ones that remained: Jim, B.E.N., Morph, Sarah, Doppler, and Amelia. For some reason, Annie felt somewhat responsible for the mess that stuck to the walls and floor like a huge, permanent stain, but she knew very well that she had nothing to do with it. At the sight of Jim glaring down at B.E.N., she felt extremely sympathetic for the robot, knowing that he had no intention of creating such a catastrophe.

B.E.N.'s eyes saddened. He felt very small and guilty among the staring eyes that burned painfully into his mind. His lower lip covered his upper one as he brought his hands behind his back, feeling the guilt taking him over. "Well, at least we got one happy customer," he said, smiling, trying to bring some optimism into the room. "Their son said it was the best dinner ever. I'm sure you all heard him, right? Am I right?" he chuckled. But the others were still unconvinced. He dropped to his wheels and retracted his arms, preparing for the worst.

"B.E.N.," said Jim, his voice slowly rising, "I can understand you calling pirates to our hiding spot on Treasure Planet. Your memory circuit was missing then. But that kind of behavior, panicking for no reason, getting up on the table to catch something that wasn't even there, and making a huge mess of everything may very well cost you your job, B.E.N.!"

"Hold on a minute!" Annie put in. She'd had enough of the accusations. "B.E.N. didn't mean it! Being mad at him won't undo what he did! It just won't! He was only trying to help. He's _always_ trying to help. Do you know why? Because he's our friend. In fact, he's the best friend _I've_ ever had in a long time."

When Annie finished her small speech, realization nestled among the group. Jim stopped his glaring, and he and the others smiled. B.E.N. saw this and brightened up.

"Now that I think about it," said Sarah, "I think B.E.N. did us a favor."

"Oh, absolutely," declared Doppler.

"I would have to agree," Amelia added. "Those Crumbletons were completely self-absorbed. Except for their son."

B.E.N. looked up at them all with large, hopeful eyes. "So, does this mean you forgive me? I'm off the hook?"

"Yeah, B.E.N.," said Jim. "We forgive you."

The now happy robot spun around as he stood to his full height in excitement. "Huzza!"

Some time later, the mess was cleaned up and everything was back in order, with everyone working together. Afterward, the Dopplers left back home to their children. Soon enough, it was time for bed.

B.E.N. and Annie found Bella sound asleep on B.E.N.'s bed. B.E.N. suddenly felt full from nourishment. She must have eaten her fill in the midst of all that chaos. Smiling big, he and Annie didn't want to disturb her sleep.

Everybody was totally unwary of two figures outside who had been eavesdropping on B.E.N. and Annie. It was the Crumbletons!

To be continued…

—

What? The Crumbletons themselves?! How was it that _they_ got involved? Stay tuned for the exciting update! Don't forget to review!


	7. Hunters and Traps

I'd like to thank MR. CROCKER, my biggest fan so far, for reviewing my story the most up to now. Thank you!

Here's where the story starts to get good. As you already know, the Crumbletons have been eavesdropping on B.E.N., Bella, and Annie! How rude! Those persnickety people must be put to justice! I bet you're wondering how they got involved in the first place. Well, just read on and find out. Enjoy!

**Chapter Seven: Hunters and Traps**

It had been a little while since the dinner party had ended. In time, everyone had gone to bed for the night. Even B.E.N. was sound asleep with Bella curled up close to him. They both smiled peacefully as they shared one another's dreams.

Just outside and below B.E.N.'s bedroom window on the roof, Mr. and Mrs. Crumbleton were listening in on what had been happening between B.E.N. and Annie and Bella. As it turned out the Crumbletons were believers: they were able to see Bella just as clearly as B.E.N. and Annie were! They merely ignored Bella's presence at the dinner to prevent suspicion.

Mr. Crumbleton took out his pocket watch and opened it up. The pocket watch wasn't a watch at all. It had no face, only a tiny holographic projection lens in the center. Pressing down on the knob, Mr. Crumbleton activated the holographic projector. The pocket watch revealed itself to be a means of contact, a communicator of sorts. The hologram appeared from the projector and showed a dark, shadowed face. The dark being!

"Mr. and Mrs. Crumbleton. Report," ordered the dark being.

"We've located the dragon and the dragon keeper, Master," Mr. Crumbleton replied quietly.

"Excellent. Now what color is the dragon?"

"White, Master," added the Mrs.

"Well, what are you two waiting for? Proceed with the plan I planned for you, you lame brains! _Now!_ Or do you wish to join the former Captain Stronghold?"

"No, no! We will do as you command, Master!" said Mr. Crumbleton quickly.

"Good. Now get to it!" The dark being's shrouded face vanished as the projector was deactivated and closed up, becoming a pocket watch once again.

Mr. Crumbleton snarled under his breath in frustration, but he and his wife promised to execute the plan as they were ordered.

"Ladron, it's time," Mrs. Crumbleton whispered behind her. In response, the young boy—the Crumbletons' son—crept up onto the roof near the Mrs. This boy had only been playing the part of the son the whole time. He was of the same alien race, but not the Crumbletons' son at all. This boy was a common thief that was now working along side the Crumbletons.

"So, dragons are real?" Ladron queried, intrigued. "Cool. And once I get in and steal the dragon, I'll strike it rich?"

"That's the plan," Mrs. Crumbleton answered.

"Go, boy," ordered Mr. Crumbleton. "Go, before we _all_ are punished."

"I gotcha, keep your shirt on," said Ladron nonchalantly, and he began to climb up the wall. When he got to the circular window, Ladron tried to open it and found that it was locked. "Ha. No problem." He reached into his pocket and took out a crooked nail and began to pick the lock. In a second, the window was opened, and the boy slipped inside.

Ladron fell to the floor with a soft thud. B.E.N. and Bella stirred slightly at the sound. Ladron cringed, fearful of being discovered. "Where's the cork screw?" the robot mumbled in his sleep while Bella made a dragon groan. Then the two fell back asleep. (Keep in mind that when people dream and are able to talk in their sleep, what they say out loud is irrelevant to what they are dreaming.) Ladron relaxed and resumed his mission.

Creeping around to the other side of the bed, the boy found Bella soundly slumbering in front of B.E.N., who was sleeping on his side. Having a history of pick pocketing, Ladron was able to slip his hands around Bella and gently pick her up off of the bed and hold her in his arms, cradling her like an infant. Bella twisted her face and her foreclaws became fists. She made little whimpering and grunting sounds, knowing even in sleep that she was not at the comforting side of her dragon keeper.

Want to know how strong the mental link really is? Since Bella was in a state of discomfort, B.E.N. whimpered and grunted slightly in his sleep and began to toss and turn in his bed. Even _his_ hands became fists. He was feeling the exact same discomfort. Both his and Bella's dreams became nightmares.

"Okay, that's just creepy," Ladron whispered. "I'm outta here." With that, the boy carried the distressed Bella in his arms and jumped out the window with much care as to not wake the white dragon or B.E.N., or anyone else for that matter.

Poor Bella had been—for lack of a better word—stolen!

ooo

The next morning, Annie yawned and stretched as she was woken up by the sunlight beaming in through the window. Checking a ticking wall clock, she saw that it was early, about 7 o' clock in the morning. Annie then began rubbing her drowsy eyes, ridding them of any sleep that may have lingered from the night before.

Suddenly, her ears perked up from a muffled noise. The noise sounded all too familiar. "B.E.N.? What's he…? Is he…? What's going on?" Concerned, Annie leapt out of bed and made her way out of the guest room and then to B.E.N.'s bedroom door. Now the sound was much clearer. He was whimpering. But for what reason?

Opening the door, the felinid discovered that B.E.N. was still asleep, tossing and turning in his now distorted bed sheets, pawing at the empty air, and moaning and whining like a terrified animal. He appeared to be stuck in some sort of horrible nightmare.

The sight of B.E.N. in this state frightened Annie. "B.E.N.?" she queried in an attempt to wake him up. "B.E.N., wake up! Wake up, B.E.N.!" She tried to shake him awake, but he responded only by whimpering even more pathetically, not even stirring. "Come on, B.E.N., wake up! You're really starting to scare me!" She shook him harder this time and spoke louder. "Please, wake up! Wake up, B.E.N.! _Wake up!_"

That did it.

B.E.N. startled awake, his eyes wide-shot as he immediately shot up in bed. "_Aaahhh!_" he screamed and tumbled over onto the hardwood floor. "Somebody call the cops! Oh!" he gasped in realization, grabbing his chest and feeling his heart hammer like mad. "Annie, thank goodness! You won't _believe_ the _nightmare_ Bella and I were having!"

"Uh, B.E.N.," Annie told the robot with unease, "I think there's one dragon unaccounted for."

"Huh?" Looking around and under the bed, B.E.N. saw no sign of Bella anywhere. "Bella? Bella? Bella honey?" he called. _Where are ya?_ he tried telepathically. No answer.

The two friends searched throughout the entire inn and still no Bella.

"I don't mean to be negative here," Annie said as soon as they stopped looking, "but I think Bella's been stolen."

"_Stolen?_" B.E.N. cried in repetition. His heart dropped to his feet, fearing the worst. "You mean she's been _dragon-napped?_ _Who would do such a thing?!_" he sobbed, covering his eyes with his arm.

"All right, calm down, B.E.N.," Annie told him soothingly. The robot did as he was told in spite of a few stray tears and sobs. "Don't worry, we'll find her. But i think we're gonna have to search the town."

"Good idea!" B.E.N. declared, apparently clear of any tears. Then he thought and added in somewhat of a whisper, "But what if Sarah notices we're gone? What would we say to her?"

Annie's mind worked fast, and she smiled. "We'll just tell her we're going to the market for a few things."

B.E.N. brightened. He understood. "Oh, I gotcha. Gee, you're smart."

"I try."

Despite the slip they pulled off with Sarah, finding Bella would be like searching for a needle in a haystack; she could be anywhere, but B.E.N. and Annie searched without stopping, checking around every corner of every building in sight, even asking around if anyone had seen a little, white dragon. However, anyone they asked only laughed at them, saying that they were foolish to believe such thoughtless fairytales.

"Of course, they couldn't have seen her," said Annie, disappointed. "No one believes in dragons, so no one _can_ see her."

"This is _horrible!_" B.E.N. exclaimed, fretting again. Different possible predicaments that Bella might have been in ran through his mind. "What if something _bad_ happened to her? If only I could talk to her! But for some unexplainable reason, I _can't!_"

Just then, B.E.N. was overcome with a familiar sensation. Something tugged hard at his consciousness, causing him to twinge and jerk and grimace with a shudder. His eyes flashed electric white as a blue pulse line passed through them, like a pulse line across a screen. The sensation passed and his eyes returned to normal, but he was left with an ache in his head. "Huh? What the—?" It happened a second time. "Whoa!" He then turned to Annie, fidgeting. "Uh, Annie? You know those glitches I had a few days ago but they stopped? Funny thing…heh-heh." Once again, the glitch came and went, stronger this time. "Yow!"

Concerned, Annie turned to him as they both stood in the street. "Don't tell me they came back." It happened another time. B.E.N. rapidly shook his head. "That's a definite yes."

Suddenly, B.E.N. spotted a blur run behind a building, striking him as familiar. "Okay, I _know_ I've seen _him_ somewhere before, but I can't remember where."

"Who? The boy that just ran passed us?"

"Yeah."

"Come on."

Annie promptly took B.E.N. by the arm and pulled him along with her, the two following the trail of the alien boy, behind the building. Seeing the boy clearly now, they both knew who he was. "Hey, wait. Stop right there!" Annie shouted to the boy.

"Uh-oh."

The boy attempted to lose them but failed miserably. Annie quickly reached out and grabbed the boy by the back of the collar of his shirt, picking him up and making sure they made eye contact.

"Hey, aren't you that cute, little boy from the dinner last night?" B.E.N. inquired, pointing. "I _knew_ you looked familiar."

"Put me down, lady!" the boy cried rudely.

"Talk. Where do the Crumbletons have Bella?" Annie demanded.

"Who's Bella?"

"Well, she's my dragon," answered B.E.N. gently. "You know, yeh big, white, just a little baby?"

"I don't know. Now, let me go!"

"You're lying," said Annie. "Tell us the truth."

Agitated, the boy caved in. "Okay, okay. They took her to their mansion. They told me not to breathe a word to anyone."

"She's not hurt, is she? 'Cause I'd be _devastated_ if she is!" Poor B.E.N. began sobbing once again. For him, all he could feel was worry and fret, dreading what possible danger Bella could be in at that very moment. He felt like a parent prone to protecting his child. He was a dragon keeper, and it was his ultimate responsibility as such to keep his dragon safe. And in spite of everything, B.E.N. and Bella shared an unbreakable bond, way too precious to ignore.

Annie was just as worried as B.E.N. was about Bella, which was why she was the only one willing to help him find her. The felinid turned her attention from her robotic friend and back to the boy. "Thank you," she said. "What's your name?"

"Ladron," the boy replied.

"Well, Ladron, you're gonna lead the way to the Crumbletons' mansion, just so you can prove to us that you're telling the truth."

"Aww. But you _are_ gonna put me down, right?"

"Eh…no."

"Humph."

Ladron folded his arms and scowled as he was taken along with B.E.N. and Annie to find the mansion, where Bella was being held captive. As they went, B.E.N.'s strange glitches gradually grew stronger the closer they got to the mansion. The structure they finally reached towered over them like a tall and complex castle constructed with cinder and metal.

"Just knock on the door," Ladron, who was still in Annie's clutches, explained. "They usually let anyone in…if you have a printed invitation." The boy chuckled.

"Why you little…" Annie seethed angrily.

"I'm kidding! Sheesh. Can't you take a joke?"

Taking the risk, the three approached the tall, double doors of the front entrance of the house, and B.E.N. knocked on the door.

"Uh…hello?" he called timidly. "Anybody home?"

Silence…

"Mr. and Mrs. Crumbleton!" Annie tried a bit more with force. "We have a matter we'd like to discuss with you! Right now!"

"Why, of course," a familiar voice boomed out of nowhere. It was Mr. Crumbleton. "But watch your step," he chortled.

Without warning, a wide trap door opened up beneath B.E.N. and Annie's feet. They remained in mid air for a moment, enough time for B.E.N. to say, "Shoulda seen that coming." And all three of them plummeted downward through a metal chute, screaming as they went, feeling their stomachs lurching. At the end of the chute was a small glimmer of light. The three landed on a hard, metal floor in a room. They came to discover that they were surrounded by a row of vertical bars, imprisoned in a cell without a lock, let alone a door.

"Ah! We're trapped!" B.E.N. cried as he gripped the bars helplessly. "Trapped like mice—er—rats!"

"Perfect," Annie said with sarcasm.

"Thank you for dropping in," sneered a deep, female voice, namely that of Mrs. Crumbleton, who stepped out of the shadows of the room with her husband.

"It's odd, ya know, I mean it's kinda like they were expecting us," B.E.N. observed, calmer now.

"Duh," Ladron curtly shot at the robot.

"Quite correct," Mr. Crumbleton stated with his hands behind his back. "You're smarter than you look. And I suppose you won't be needing this?" He revealed his hands from behind his back, holding a small cage. Inside sat a certain white dragon, who crooned in distress.

Yet again, another glitch came over B.E.N. But the sight of Bella brought out the instinct in him to protect her, even though he was completely unable to do anything to help at all. "Bella! Oh, give her back! Please?"

"Oh, what, and release her from this cage?" said Mrs. Crumbleton. "Never. We knew you couldn't resist taking the bait."

"And we've made perfectly sure that you and your dragon cannot make contract through your pathetic telepathic bond." Mr. Crumbleton tapped the bars of Bella's cage. "This metal is specially made with our master's magic; you could not make contact even if you tried."

"Hey, that's not fair!" B.E.N. protested in complaint. He then received yet another glitch while Bella crooned sadly.

Mrs. Crumbleton took Bella and set her down on a far table. "We're feeling generous today, so we'll allow your dragon to stay here, but you will not be together in the same cell."

"What are ya gonna do to us?" B.E.N. queried worriedly.

"We are going to deliver you and your dragon to our master," Mr. Crumbleton explained. "By order of…well, our master, or course." It was redundant to mention their master twice. "He is very anxious to have the both of you in his grasp."

"That is…he wants very much to meet you," the Mrs. explained further.

"Yeah, make him his slave is more like it," Annie remarked.

"Silence, you wench!"

Mr. Crumbleton finally took note of the little, alien boy sitting in the cell with B.E.N. and Annie "Hm. Speaking of which…"

"Ah, yes." The Mrs. also regarded the boy. "Ladron. I suppose you led them here?"

"Yeah?" Ladron shot back. "So what if I did?" And he made a huge raspberry at the Crumbletons. Everyone drew back a bit when he did. Mr. and Mrs. Crumbleton exchanged agreeing looks of apathy. "I couldn't help it." Ladron pointed a finger at Annie. "She had me by my shirt!"

"Regardless," said Mr. Crumbleton as he waved his hand with a dismissive air about him. "Frankly, we never planned to reward you, even though you successfully stole the dragon."

Realization hit B.E.N. and Annie hard in the faces when they heard this, and they immediately turned to the boy, taken aback. "_You_ took Bella?" the two exclaimed in unison towards Ladron.

"Only because they promised me treasure!" Ladron replied, pointing an accusing finger at the Crumbletons.

There was a moment of silence before Annie said, "You are so greedy."

"Yeah," B.E.N. concurred.

"Am not!" Ladron sulked.

Bella gave an additional croon of distress and made an effort to reach out to B.E.N. through their precious mental link, but her endeavor was unsuccessful. Just as she did this, B.E.N. received another jerking glitch, eyes flashing white. "Wow!" he grunted loudly, holding his head. "That was a doozy."

"Well, do make yourselves right at home," said Mrs. Crumbleton.

"While we prepare for departure," Mr. Crumbleton finished. "And we're taking you and your dragon with us, robot, whether you like it or not."

With that, the two left the room, shutting the door behind them, leaving the friends locked up in their cell and Bella in her cage on the table. There was nothing to do now but sit…and wait…to be taken away…again. What would become of them now that they had no way out? These Crumbletons were more formidable than Stronghold and his crew.

"So…um…" B.E.N. apprehensively inquired of Annie, "…what's the plan?"

Nothing came from Annie except an exhale of utter defeat. No ideas crossed her mind as they normally would. There was no lock to pick and she had used up her last hairpin from when she and B.E.N. were captured by Stronghold. "I'm sorry, B.E.N.," she answered remorsefully, turning to the robot. "I don't have a plan. There _is_ no plan…because once again I have managed to get us both into a fine mess. This one happens to be a tighter fix than usual."

Bella, who had been lying down in her cage, lifted her head, listening.

"Aw, it's not your fault, Annie," B.E.N. tried with a smile, putting an arm around his friend's shoulders, attempting to cheer her up. "I've made _lots_ more mistakes in the past than you. _Believe_ me. Well, granted I had _lost _my _mind_ at the time," he admitted with a chuckle. "I'm telling you, I wasn't all that smart without it." He laughed, hopefully to get Annie to laugh with him. No response. Not even a giggle. "Oh, c'mon, ya can't really blame yourself."

"Actually, B.E.N., there's something I need to tell you," the felinid began, her voice quiet and gentle, just as she sounded when B.E.N. had first made fast friends with her, in the wreckage after she had crash landed. "Do you remember, after you found me in the trench, I had asked for your hand?"

"Uh-huh. Sure, I do!"

"Not in marriage!" Ladron rudely remarked. He was ignored.

"Well," Annie continued, "do you remember a warm feeling in your hand when I touched it?"

B.E.N. thought for a split second and the memory came back to him. "Come to think of it, yeah! But I thought you didn't feel—"

"I lied."

B.E.N. gasped. "No!"

"Yeah. Sorry. Anyway, I put something into you."

B.E.N. gasped again and felt around himself. "What'd you do? You didn't plant a _virus_ in me—!"

"No, no, nothing like that."

B.E.N. calmed down. "Oh."

"What I put into you was some sort of magic."

"Oh. Whew! That's a relief."

"See, my mother gave me a jewel pendant on a chain. When I touched it, I saw a glowing ball of white light seep right into my finger. She told me it was powerful magic that could only be used by a certain being and that I had to deliver it to him...And she described him to me." She fell silent for a short moment, almost too afraid to say what it was. The short moment progressed into a longer one. Ladron, Bella, and B.E.N. were all listening with great intent. "B.E.N...it was you."

To be continued…

I bet you can imagine B.E.N.'s reaction right now. Amazing, isn't it? So? What do you think? Like it so far? I was really excited to write this last bit of dialogue. And I plan to go farther with this story! Trust me; it gets better from there! Please review! Please?


	8. What Makes a Pure Heart?

Sorry for the long wait.

I don't want to give any more hints on what happens. You'll just have to see for yourself. But I will say that the story does get better from here. Enjoy! Oh, and a review would be nice.

**Chapter Eight: What Makes a Pure Heart?**

B.E.N. stood there in the cell in front of Annie. Hearing that he was the one that her mother had described to her blew his mind away and caused his jaw to drop wide open. For a minute, his voice box seemed to have been blocked from allowing him to speak.

"M…me?" B.E.N. queried in a stutter, pointing to himself. Not only was he quite astonished, he was utterly confused. "Wait just darn _minute_ here! How could your mother know about me? I mean…let alone _describe_ me? That's pretty _nuts!_"

"I don't know," Annie answered. "Somehow she knows about you. Unless you've met her somewhere before. No, that's impossible. You were on Treasure Planet for a hundred years. You _couldn't_ have met her."

"I don't know her, but she knows _me?_ Now I'm _really_ confused!"

"She told me that you were destined to carry this power, whatever it is. She never told me why. She only said it was a secret, and that she couldn't tell me about it."

"Why not?"

"I asked her the same question. 'It's too powerful a secret for me to say,' she said. And just told me to trust her. And I did." Annie couldn't help but smile. "Actually, I'm really glad I got to run into you, B.E.N. You've been a wonderful friend to me. Thank you."

B.E.N. grinned a wide grin at her compliments and thanks. "Oh, well, heh-heh, you know, you're welcome," he chuckled. Then Annie came right up to him and planted a friendly kiss on the side of his smooth, metal cheek, and he blushed bashfully.

Ladron had been watching and he stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Yuck! Mushy stuff!" He was once again ignored.

Bella trilled in an outcry and tried reaching out to B.E.N., but her only response was another violent glitch from the robot. He shuddered when the glitch passed and shook his head. It happened again just as Bella attempted to reach him. This time it was much, much stronger. It caused B.E.N. to unconsciously hit his head a few times on the bars of the cell, going, "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" and he fell to the ground, sitting upright against the wall. "Ouch," he groaned when it ended, holding his head. "Oh, my aching head."

"It's never been _that_ bad before," Annie said to herself, thinking. She looked to Bella, who trilled as she stood in her cage. The felinid noticed something peculiar. Every time the little dragon tried to reach out to B.E.N., the bars on the cage and on the cell glowed and appeared to quake, almost as if they were weakening. Then Annie thought about how B.E.N. was getting these glitches every time Bella tried to reach him. Slowly, it began to make sense. "Wait a minute." Annie snapped her fingers as an idea finally clicked in her mind. "That's it!"

B.E.N. turned to Annie in question. "Huh?"

"_What's_ it?" Ladron wanted to know.

"B.E.N. I noticed," Annie explained, struck by inspiration, "that Bella was just now trying to contact you through telepathy. But every time she tried to, you had a glitch. And now I just realized that those aren't glitches at all. They never _were._ The connection between you two is being blocked, so the only way you respond to her call is with these 'glitches.'"

"What's that mean? You have a plan?" B.E.N. asked, brightening up as he stood to his feet.

"Oh, I have more than just a plan. This plan should help us get out of here. Okay, I also noticed that every time Bella tried to contact you, not only were you having 'glitches,' the bars on her cage and on our cell looked like they were weakening. The Crumbletons said that you couldn't contact Bella because of the magic on these bars, but what if the both of you tried to make the connection together at the same time? It's like hacking away at a brick wall. If you're only doing it on one side, you'll get nowhere fast. But if the two of you hacked at it together on both sides, you'll get through much faster and easier! It's brilliant!"

"Oh, that sounds _fantastic_, Annie! What do we have to do?"

"Well, Bella is trying to contact you, so _you_ have to try to contact _her_. It may be hard, but I'm positive that this will work. Are you ready?"

"Will it hurt?" the robot queried.

"I have no idea, but it's our only way out."

"Okay, I'll give it a try." He sounded more ready this time.

"Good. Okay, B.E.N. You have to concentrate."

B.E.N. nodded. "Concentrate. Got it!" He positioned himself, looking Bella in the eyes as she did him. "Okay. Um…oh, let's see…"

"Concentrate," Annie instructed like a guru. "Close your eyes." B.E.N. closed his eyes. Bella did the same. "Feel the connection. And reach out."

Both B.E.N. and Bella's minds hacked away at the brick wall between them. The bars on the cell and the cage quaked and glowed an eerie, dark violet. B.E.N. grunted and his face twisted as he concentrated his hardest to reach Bella's consciousness. Bella was doing the same. They could feel the seemingly impassible mental wall begin to weaken. Little by little, it was crumbling and slowly falling to pieces.

Annie and Ladron were witnessing B.E.N. and Bella's efforts.

"What's going on?" the boy wondered.

"They're reconnecting their verbal and emotional link," Annie cared to answer with a smile. And she noticed how much the bars were shaking and rattling. Even the ground was slightly trembling beneath their feet. Annie's smile disappeared when she realized this. "And I think the bars are about to cave. Stand back."

The wall between B.E.N. and Bella was closer now to giving way. At last…_BOOM!_ Each of the bars of the cell and cage literally broke in two and tumbled and clattered to the ground, eliminating both prisons.

B.E.N. was a little bit exhausted from the mental exertion and shook his head. "Wow. I hope I don't have ta do _that_ again."

_B.E.N.?_

_Bella?_ The verbal link exploded into their shared consciousness. The connection between them was fully restored! "Hey! I heard her! Yes! Oh, this is _fantastic!_" Overjoyed, he immediately embraced Annie.

_And_ I_ heard _you_, B.E.N.!_ Bella gave a tiny, happy chirrup of triumph.

"And look!" Annie pointed out. "We're all free! See? What'd I tell you?"

"Wow. You were right!" B.E.N. exclaimed. "Oh, Bella! Get ready for a hug, 'cause I gotta hug ya!" He ran right up to his dragon and picked her up in his arms, hugging her blissfully but gently. _I'm sorry I let you get stolen!_

_It's all right. We're free._

"Hey, look," B.E.N. said, seeing something on Bella's skin. "They got you dirty. And I just washed ya last night, too."

"Okay! Come on! Let's get outta here!" Ladron cried out.

"Oh. Right. Let's skedaddle!"

And skedaddle they did, with Annie in the lead, up the stairs through the hallway and out of the dungeon. They stopped in their tracks from the sight that met them next. They were now taking in the appearance of the interior of the mansion. Cobwebs hung in every corner in sight, wooden planks blocked the windowpanes, but what was most noticeable was the slew of outdated machinery. Metal claws hung by chains from the ceiling, indiscernible parts littered the once glamorous tile floor and pair of staircases leading up along the walls on either side of the foyer to the second floor. Dust and mold accumulated in the very air. It was a sad and foreboding sight. It was almost frightening to look at.

"And I thought my own room was messy," Annie remarked, with B.E.N. standing close to her and fidgeting.

"Gee, it all looked so fancy on the outside," B.E.N. added while he glanced around the foyer.

"What do you think this machinery was used for?" Ladron wondered out loud. "They look like torture devices."

"Right you are, boy," Mrs. Crumbleton's voice resonated throughout the room.

"They were given to us personally by our master," Mr. Crumbleton explained. "And we intend to use them on you and your dragon. We've waited countless years for you, robot." The elephant alien pointed a finger down at B.E.N. from the top of the staircase where he and his wife were standing. "That is why all of our equipment has aged and become almost obsolete from lack of use."

"How come you didn't use it on us before?" B.E.N. wanted to know. "Just outta curiosity."

"We wanted to wait for the right time," Mrs. Crumbleton elaborated. "Now that you're here we can at last put this equipment to good use."

"We anticipated your escape," said Mr. Crumbleton, grinning slyly. "We know you are easily captured. We'll simply capture you again…for our machines."

During the time they were speaking, another plan was forming in Annie's mind. She moved her eyes up and noticed a chain that ran upward to the ceiling, through a loop, and attached to a cage with an open bottom. And it was conveniently hanging just where she wanted it to hang. Suddenly, she burst out loud as she pointed behind the Crumbletons, "Oh, my gosh! Look out behind you!"

The Crumbletons took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. They turned their heads behind them, their attention drawn away from the chain. Annie swiftly grabbed a small piece of metal and flung it through the air, aiming at the portion of the chain just before the loop through which it hung. The metal piece sliced through the chain like a knife through butter. With gravity taking over, the cage plummeted to the floor with a clang, entrapping the Crumbletons inside.

"Oh, yes! _Fantastic shot!_" B.E.N. praised.

"Yeah! Take _that!_" Ladron applauded and laughed along with B.E.N. and Annie.

"Quickly!" cried Annie. "Help me with this piece!" She began to try to lift a long metal piece that seemed to have belonged to a mechanical arm. Despite her injured left arm, she was able to lift it slightly off the ground with her right arm.

Together, the three lifted the piece. They then charged towards the double door entrance in front of them, using the piece to bash apart the double doors, and made their escape out of the mansion. But not before giving the caged Crumbletons a friendly farewell.

The Mr. and Mrs. reached their arms through the metal bars pathetically. "Get back here, you lot of miscreants!" Mr. Crumbleton roared angrily.

"You'll be paying for that very expensive door you broke down!" the Mrs. joined in, but then gaveup, defeated. "Oh, what's the point?"

"The master is going to hear of this," Mr. Crumbleton groaned. "He'll probably have our heads on a silver platter."

"Contact him."

"Yes, of course."

Mr. Crumbleton pulled out the fake pocket watch and opened it, pressing the side knob to contact their master. The dark being's shrouded face appeared in the holographic projection. "Yes?" the being questioned, not sounding too happy.

"Master," said Mr. Crumbleton, "there has been a slight…complication in the plan."

"What are you talking about, Crumbleton?"

"We…" He and his wife prepared themselves for the worst. "We regret to in form you that…um…"

"In a nutshell, if you will, the robot and his dragon have escaped," Mrs. Crumbleton explained painfully.

"I see…" the dark being mused. "In that case…" he seemed to be seething.

Without warning, the Crumbletons vanished into thin air from the cage and instantly reappeared in the dark being's pitch-black throne room. They were apparently teleported here through magical means.

The dark being was, in fact, seething. "I tried to be patient with Captain Stronghold. I have tried to be patient by waiting until the dragon was grown, but I realized that I simply cannot wait that long." Little by little, the dark being's voice rose with rage. "Do you know what would happen if I had to wait a whole year? That robot and his dragon would have already grown strong! You have failed me, Crumbletons! And now, thanks to you, I _will_ have to wait an entire year!" His voice then became calmer and more calculating. "Then again, it _is_ a tiny mining planet. And the robot could never be able to teach his dragon to fly or breath fire. And surely he does not yet know the true potential that lies within them both." He turned his attention back down to the cowering Crumbletons. "Nevertheless, you have failed in accomplishing you mission. What shall I do you with you?"

"Please, Master!" Mr. Crumbleton pleaded. "Don't sic your beast upon us!"

"Oh, no, I won't do that." The dark being seemed to be grinning cunningly with a hint of mischief. "I think I shall have a little fun with you." Holding his black staff erect, the violet orb at the top sparked and glowed with its own color. Then, he pointed it down at the Crumbletons, a beam of purple light shooting from the orb and making contact with the two. It only took two seconds for them to transform into a couple of slippery, barking seals. At this, the dark being laughed out loud from the amusement. "Now _this_ is _rich!_ Oh, balance a ball on your noses!"

The two seals moved about aimlessly while the dark being guffawed uncontrollably. Soon enough, two of the dark being's guards herded the animals into a pen of to the side of the room.

The dark being then gazed into his large crystal globe, the purple light reflecting off his shrouded face. The globe showed more soundless, moving pictures of B.E.N. and his friends as they walked down the main street of town. They were smiling and laughing because they knew they had triumphed. What they had no idea of yet was that they were still being watched and that the dark being would be lying in wait for one whole year.

"A year isn't that long," he mused to himself, adding a sly chuckle. He sat back in the seat of his throne and waved a hand in front of the crystal globe and the images blacked out. "Yes…I'll be waiting for you…including your soon-to-be companion…the one other than you…"

—

"Did you see the looks on their faces when you got them in that cage?" B.E.N. laughed while the friends strolled through the main market street of Benbow. "That was just _unforgettable!_"

"Yeah, they'd better think twice before messing with us," Ladron commented in a cocky manner.

Annie chortled in agreement. "And I think I've done enough. I don't wish to take all the credit. You did your share, too, B.E.N."

"I did?"

"And Bella, too."

_You and I made a great team. It was our bond that broke through those bars_, Bella reminded the robot as she was perched on his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, we made a fantastic team back there, didn't we?"

_Not bad for a one-day-old._

—

——

—

A lot can take place in a single year.

In just a few weeks, Annie's arm healed completely. She had no further use for the sling B.E.N. had made for her. Nonetheless, she was grateful for his unyielding kindness.

Ladron went off, back to his regular life. This time he got a job at the local market where he wasn't tempted to steal. Of course, his days as a common thief were over. He only stole once while he was working and that was the only time he ever did steal. B.E.N. and Annie were lucky to have met him. Ladron was a believer, and he was a big help in finding Bella.

The mansion had been run-down ignored for so many years. At last, a good, kind, wealthy couple decided to buy it off. They cleared out all the junk and cobwebs and dust, transforming the decrepit structure into what it was meant to be.

Free, from any more dragon and bounty hunters, B.E.N. and Annie were finally able to really settle down at the Benbow Inn. B.E.N. went right back to his duties at the inn. More and more guests were coming in with the changing seasons. The timing couldn't be more perfect. Annie helped out quite a bit. And no one else knew it except for B.E.N. and Annie, but even Bella was contributing to the business a little bit as well. Things were going so smooth with all the extra help, especially since Jim was off again with his new crew. He said to everyone that he was going to be gone for a while, but promised to return home soon.

Nothing much else changed throughout the year, except that Annie grew her hair out. It was now about six inches below her shoulders. It had once been about shoulder-length and in a ponytail. Now that she was 17 years of age, she had decided to grow it out. It was long and beautiful.

At one time, very early on in the passing year, Annie went exploring around the cliffs near the Benbow and discovered the perfect home for Bella. It was a reasonably deep enough, safe and hidden from people. Despite there not being very many believers, you can never be too careful. The maw and inner walls of the cave was wide enough to fit a full-grown dragon, which was supposed to be the general height of up to three horses. By that time, Bella had already grown to the size of a small dog.

B.E.N. soon attempted to teach Bella to fly; breathing fire would come later. Her wingspan was now about 3 to 4 feet and her tail just about the length of her body. Her chest had grown large enough to hold her enormous heart. This was typical for any flying creature because they required oxygen-rich blood to pump those wings. Okay, so what, B.E.N. obviously can't fly himself, but those who can't do teach, right? Every other day, B.E.N. would go out and run a good distance with Bella sitting in his hands, wings outstretched. He moved his hands up and down, trying to encourage her to take flight. She managed to fly on her own for a short distance before tumbling to the ground, but improved as time passed.

Bella was six months old before she was the size of a full-grown bullyadous. By then, she was large enough now to live in the cave that Annie had discovered. And by then, she had already learned how to fly, but not to breathe fire. Fortunately, B.E.N. and Annie taught her to hunt. She was able to fly as high as the atmosphere of Montressor to catch a few manta birds, and she was also able to hunt in the abandoned mines for possible rats that may inhabit them.

During her hunts in the mines, she would spot a strange array of bones, but they were too broken apart to tell just what animal they may have belonged to. And every time she came across them, they were always in the same place and there were none other like them anywhere else in any of the mines. But the bones have nothing to do with her growth.

Another six months passed. Bella was now _twice_ the size of a full-grown bullyadous. And she was now large enough to ride, but she was still unable to breathe fire. No matter.

Because of Bella's enormous bulk, she had eaten almost every rat in the mines. And since she could now be ridden, B.E.N. and Annie searched high and low for the perfect saddle. It only took them a couple of days for them to finally find a saddle suitable enough. The only downside was that it couldn't be used just yet. What would people think if they saw B.E.N. riding an invisible thing through the air? There would be consequences if people grew suspicious. That was why Bella had to stay hidden in this cave. It wasn't such a big deal. As long as B.E.N.'s beautiful, white dragon was safe from potential harm.

—

Today, Bella was 25 feet in total length from head to tail. Her neck smooth and beautiful had grown to about 4 and a half feet in length. Her teeth had grown sharp enough to tear through thick leather. And her figure was strong and healthy, her chest twice the size of an average-sized barrel. As she matured, Bella was able to tell of a "second pair of lungs" in her abdomen, flight bladders, if you will, which stored hydrogen, allowing extra lift. But her most magnificent aspect was her immense wingspan: completely outstretched, her total wingspan reached to about 40 feet. Actually, this size would not be her biggest. No one knew just how large she would grow or how long she would live.

Bella's mental speaking voice was once small, like that of a 5-year-old girl. Now her voice had deepened into a powerful, mature, knowing, and wise tone, like that of a full-grown woman. At first, it gave B.E.N. chills to here it whenever she spoke to him. Now a day, he was used to it.

B.E.N. and Annie had taken great care of her during the past year, but it was mostly B.E.N.'s doing. He was her dragon keeper, after all.

Today signified the day of her birth, when she came into B.E.N.'s life for the first time. Today was her birthday. She was now a whole year old. Being way too big to fit in the Benbow anymore, Bella's birthday would be celebrated in her cave. Annie waited with the dragon for B.E.N. to come with a little surprise.

"You know, Bella?" Annie said, sitting at the inner wall of the mouth of the cave. "I'm starting to wish I could hear your thoughts. But I'm not your keeper. Oh, well."

_It's all right, Annie_, Bella replied with her matured voice. Although, Annie couldn't hear her. _We're both lucky to have B.E.N. He may be a machine, but I can feel his pure heart. I chose him for that reason…because I knew he could be my keeper. Because he is much more than a machine. He's alive…and he possesses a heart_.

"I know why you chose B.E.N. to be your keeper. And I know _you_ know why."

A small smile played across Bella's reptilian mouth. _Funny. You can't hear me, but you always know what I'm saying. You are a very special girl, Annie. I believe that _you_ deserve to be a dragon keeper_. Bella nuzzled against Annie's cheek affectionately, nostrils flaring.

"Aww, you big lug, Bella," Annie remarked with a giggle, rubbing Bella's face like a horse.

"Surprise!" B.E.N. exclaimed as he was coming down the side steps of the cliff, down to the mouth of the cave. He was carrying a wide tray, which held a huge white-frosted cake and two glasses, one full of milk and the other pure black petroleum. A single, solitary, lit candle sat in the center of the cake, surrounded by blue lettering in icing. "Happy Birthday, Bella! How do you like the cake I made?" he said with grin as he set the tray down.

"It looks delicious, B.E.N.," Annie complimented. "I can't wait to have some. After Bella makes a wish, that is."

"Oh, yeah! Make a wish, Bella! And don't forget to blow out the candle."

_All right._ Bella closed her eyes, made her wish, and snuffed out the flame with one exhale through her nostrils. The wind lifted Annie's hair, and everyone laughed.

Then, Annie remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. I have a present for you, Bella." She reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out her sketchbook, flipped through the pages, and landed on a drawing she'd done a year ago, from when Bella first hatched. "What do you think?"

Bella examined the drawing closely and created a curious moaning sound, like she was astonished. _I was tiny, wasn't I?_

"And cute, too!" B.E.N. told her with a chuckle. He gazed up at her with an admiring smile. "My, how you've grown..."

_I like it._

"You do? You like it?"

"Thanks, Bella," said Annie. "I'm glad you do."

"Well, let's dig in!"

"Good. I'm starving."

Bella wolfed down nearly have of the cake and complimented B.E.N.'s cooking, licking her lips. Annie indulged herself in a particularly big slice of cake while B.E.N. enjoyed his glass of oil.

Just then, Bella's expression turned serious, and yet she was relaxed. B.E.N. and Annie noticed. "What's wrong, Bella?" B.E.N. wanted to know, growing panicked. "Don't tell me there's someone else coming to get us!"

_No. I sense no danger, but our oncoming guest is someone we've never met before._

Now B.E.N. was able to relax as well. "Oh, good. Whew! You had me worried there for a second. Heh-heh."

"Someone coming? How close?" Annie asked.

Very close. No worry. Be prepared, though. Our guest is — Without warning, a huge creature on giant wings came swooping in out of nowhere, landing inside the cave close to the little group. The creature's wings sent a gust of wind blasting in their faces _…a dragon_, Bella finished.

"Oh, mama…" B.E.N. slowly uttered, blown away by the size of this dragon. It had the same general appearance as Bella and was at least twice her current size, but this one was a vibrant red with golden, slightly curved horns on its head. It wore a small saddle on its back, with the straps crossing over its chest. The straps were bound together in a single buckle, in the center of the dragon's immense torso. And that _size!_ "That's a b-b-_big_ dragon…"

"It's a _male_ dragon," Annie observed with astonishment. "All male dragons have horns on their heads, unlike their female counterparts. Males also have more vibrant skin tones while females have more of a muted tint in their color. That's how you can tell the differences between the two."

"You're a smart young lady," called a voice from the saddle on the dragon's back. The voice revealed itself to be a man of about 35, garbed in green archer's attire with an arrow pack and a bow hanging from his back. His hair was a dark blonde and his eyes were a chestnut brown, the same eye color he shared with his mount. His physique and facial structure were strong and a well-rounded British accent emerged when he spoke.

The man took notice of Annie, staring at her for a second. He seemed to recognize her. "Annie?"

The felinid was taken aback by the address towards her. "Yes? You know me?"

"I know you're mother," the man replied. "You look exactly like her."

"How did you find me?"

"Your mother told me to find the—oh, I shouldn't say. What matters is that you're here and you're safe. I was told to find someone who goes by the name of B.E.N. Is he around?"

B.E.N. excitedly made himself known to the man, waving his arm and jumping up and down a few times. "Oh! Oh! Me! That's me! I'm B.E.N.! Bio-Electronic Navigator. And you are…?" he inquired.

"Roland," the man said after dismounting his dragon. "And this is my dragon, Dargoth."

"Oh, what a pleasure to meet you, Roland." The robot eagerly shook hands with the man. "You, too, uh, Dargoth. I'd shake your hand, but you don't have any. No offense."

Dargoth nodded his huge head with a smile of greeting.

Roland looked at B.E.N. with a bit of puzzlement. "It's funny. I never pictured you with so much…well, metal…about you."

"You haven't?"

"Well, the Pure—" Roland stopped and changed his mind, shying away somewhat. "No, I really shouldn't say."

Just then, Bella huffed in annoyance. _Excuse me_, her voice boomed in B.E.N.'s head. _Aren't we forgetting someone?_

"Oh! Right! Sorry, Bella, sorry!" B.E.N. hurriedly apologized. "Um, Roland, meet Bella. She's one of my best pals."

Roland gazed in wonder at the sight of Bella, though he wasn't too surprised. "She's an amazing creature. I can see you've cared for her so well. And she is the only white dragon in existence."

"She is? Really?"

"Yes. Her skin is stunningly lust. Her wings are as full as ever." The man was listing all these wonderful things about the white dragon while closely examining her. "I've hardly ever seen such a healthy figure in a female dragon, considering how young she still is. Her talons are so trim and her dentures appear sharp enough to tear through the thickest leather. She is just how I pictured her when I was told of the prophecy." He failed to catch himself. "Oops, perhaps I've said too much."

"Huh?" B.E.N.'s attention was captured by the man's words.

"Nothing, nothing. I knew you couldn't have figured it out by now."

"Known what?" Annie queried.

"Oh, me and my big mouth," Roland moaned, burying his head in his hand. "I wasn't supposed to tell you until later."

B.E.N. began feeling like he was missing something too important to miss. "Eh, could somebody tell me what's goin' on? Bella?"

_I'm sorry, B.E.N._, Bella admitted._ I'm as clueless as you are_.

He was beginning to panic, feeling like he was being torn in two because no one would tell him whatever it was he just had to know. "Come on! I'm in the dark here! Somebody show me the light! I'm _beggin'_ ya!" the robot pleaded helplessly.

Roland saw no other way around this and gave in finally. "Well, I suppose I really should tell you. There is no avoiding it now. The prophecy stated '…only one Purest of Heart shall come and purge the darkness on a dragon whose skin shows white.' I apologize for keeping this from you."

"You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you? 'Cause I _really_ hope you're not saying what I think you're saying and that it's just some sorta coincidence!"

"Yes, B.E.N. I am…because…you _are_ that one…the Purest of Heart."

"I _am?_"

"He is?" Annie added. "But I thought that was just a story. Then Bella is that dragon whose skin shows white!"

"That is correct," replied Roland.

"I can't believe I didn't see it before!" Annie scolded herself, hitting herself on the head. "_Duh!_ It's all so obvious now!"

B.E.N. was rendered completely and unusually dumbfounded. At last, after a long moment of silence with his jaw hanging open and his eyes shot wide, he said, "Me? I'm the…?" He pointed to himself quizzically, feeling the reality of the truth sinking its teeth in, neither excited nor frightened out of his wits. "_Wow wee!_" he burst out laughing."That's a little _nuts!_ I'm _tellin' _ya! Me! The Purest of Heart! _Bella!_ Can you believe this?"

I don't find it so hard to believe.

"Huh? I mean…" he laughed. "I mean, we can't _possibly _be the exact same ones, right? I'm mean it's a _coincidence!_ Right?"

"Please trust me, B.E.N.," continued Roland. "It is true. You are the Purest of Heart and Bella is the same white dragon from the prophecy."

"Well," said Annie, "I always thought he had a pure heart. I mean, he's kind, generous, thoughtful, quirky, spontaneous, and eager to please. Actually, B.E.N., you never get angry or mad at anyone, do you?"

"Me? Angry? Mad? Come to think of it," B.E.N. said thoughtfully, "_never!_ Never _ever!_ I mean, why _would_ I be _angry_ or _mad_ at anyone? You know, admittedly, it's kinda _frightening_ when people are angry or mad. And I really don't do well with confrontation."

Roland smiled knowingly. "Now _that_ is a pure heart, and _that_ is why you have been chosen as the Purest of Heart, B.E.N."

Knowing this now, B.E.N. was somewhat flattered. "Really?"

"Yes. Anger, jealousy, and hate are the very things that bring darkness into people's hearts and soon fill them with selfishness. But _you_, B.E.N., you possess absolutely none of those traits. Therefore, your heart is free of any darkness and filled with compassion and love and a willingness to try. Fear and a small amount of greed are only natural in any heart. We all fear, and we all crave for what we feel brings us joy. There is no denying those emotions. Both you and your dragon are very special. You don't allow fear or the small amount of greed to get out of control, and that is why my fellow riders and the other dragons of our home planet require your assistance."

"You're home planet?" Annie questioned.

"And that would be…?" B.E.N. said, just as perplexed.

Roland simply replied, "Draco."

To be continued…

—

Well, did you expect that? I bet you didn't. If you did…well, I just hope it wasn't ruined for you. Remember. This is just the beginning, as you can probably tell. I have more up my sleeve and I plan to write more soon. Tell me what you think. Your reviews are most appreciated. They are my fuel. Sit tight, 'cause there's more to come!

Also note that the name Ladron (without the accent above the "o") is actually the Spanish word for thief. How appropriate since he stole Bella in Chapter Seven.


	9. On Dragon Wings

What happened? I used to be getting reviews, but somehow they've stopped coming? Well, maybe many of you are on vacation or something. I don't mean to sound pathetic or anything, but I'd really like to see more reviews. All right, I'm just gonna stop. So, I also updated my review, hopefully to make it look good, because it _is!_

Anyway, for those of you who are on the edge of your seats, keep on reading! And don't forget to review! Enjoy!

**Chapter Nine: On Dragon Wings**

Roland explained that Draco lied in the eye of the actual Draco constellation after which it was named, in addition to the dragon population. Fortunately, it wouldn't be too long a journey there; it was close enough by. However, there was no telling how long B.E.N. and Bella would be away on Draco or the exact span of time over the journey to the planet.

Actually, since B.E.N. now knew the location of the planet, he was able to pinpoint the exact time from Montressor to Draco. And the method of transportation would be not a ship, but the dragons, Bella and Dargoth.

Roland also explained that in space dragons were able to travel in flight for weeks, months, even over a year if they had to. Of course, for younger dragons like Bella, the journey would be somewhat strenuous. She wasn't accustomed to flying for so long. Due to this, they would be obligated to make a few stops along the way. No big deal.

Though, there was one thing that still concerned B.E.N. and Annie:

"How are we going to explain this to Sarah?" Annie said.

—

Well, a little bit later in the Benbow Inn, Roland and Sarah Hawkins met. Roland explained to her that he happened to know B.E.N. and need him for a special assignment. Naturally, Sarah had to ask _what_ assignment. Roland told her that it was too complicated to explain and that she wouldn't believe him, advising her to just trust him. Roland added then that B.E.N. would only be gone as long as Roland needed him. Sarah was somewhat skeptical, but she said that as long as it was important B.E.N. was allowed to go.

"B.E.N.," said Roland to the robot, "pack you're provisions. You and I are heading out."

B.E.N. beamed excitedly while he and Annie went upstairs into his room. "Yes!" In just a few minutes, he had already begun packing, storing any necessities into a large leather backpack that would be carried along on the journey to Draco. "I haven't been off of Montressor for at least…well, technically, a year. But I haven't been to another _planet_ for at _least_ two _whole_ years! Oh, this is gonna be so much fun! Excitement! Adventure! On _dragons! Dragons_, Annie! You know, this'll be my first time _ever_ riding Bella. I mean, how _thrilling_ is _that?_"

"Yes, but…" Annie said as she helped B.E.N. pack, suddenly sounding a little uneasy.

"Huh? What's wrong?" B.E.N. queried, noticing Annie's saddened expression. "Don't you wanna come?"

"Of course, I do! I'd love to go! It's just that…well, with you gone…and the inn to run…I'm gonna have to stay here with Sarah."

Hearing this, B.E.N.'s face matched Annie's. "Oh." Trying to stay optimistic, he grinned broadly. "Well, it won't be so bad. I mean, it's only gonna take me…um…" He started counting an estimated number of days on his fingers. "I'm _positive_ that I'll be back _really_ soon!"

Annie laughed. "Yeah, but—" she turned serious "—who knows how long Draco will need you, B.E.N. It could take a few days…a few weeks…maybe even a few months."

"You may have a point there."

"Sorry. I don't mean to sound negative."

"Aw, it's okay."

"No. It's not. I've spent a whole year here, living with you and Sarah and Jim and Morph. I'm really gonna miss you, B.E.N. I think I'll miss you the most. You've really made a difference in my life…ever since you put my arm in that sling."

Already, as she told him all this, B.E.N. could be seen trying to hold back tears, but the effort was meaningless, and he wiped away the tears from his glistening, blue eyes. "You're kinda getting me all…choked up," his voice cracked. "Oh, I promised myself I wouldn't cry!" Unable to help himself, he threw his skinny arms around Annie in a hug, sobbing openly. Gasping through his tears, he asked meekly, "Does anyone have a tissue?" Annie's eyes also filled with tears, and she reached for a piece of tissue on the nightstand, giving it to the emotional robot. He blew through it with a subtle honking noise. "I'm gonna miss you, too, Annie! I wish you could come with us!"

"Me, too."

"Come on, B.E.N.!" Roland's voice called from downstairs. "We must hurry!"

"I'll send you off," the felinid said to B.E.N.

Grinning, B.E.N. slipped the moderately heavy leather backpack over his shoulders. "Oh, Annie, you're the best pal a robot could ask for. Well, Jimmy, too, of course."

Without warning, the weight of the backpack conquered B.E.N. Losing his will to keep his balance, he struggled with the backpack and collapsed terribly to the hard floor with a startled cry. Annie gasped when this happened. B.E.N. grunted weakly from the floor while reaching upward with his hand, "Um…Annie? Little help here?"

—

_Are you ready?_ Bella asked of B.E.N. The robot was in the cave with her, Roland, Dargoth, and Annie. He'd already finished strapping his packed provisions onto the saddle, but he was having difficulty with his backpack.

"Heh-heh, 'course I am!" B.E.N. chuckled to his dragon, grunting from the weight of his backpack. "Ready as ever! That's me!"

_I can sense doubt in you._

"Huh? Me? Doubt? Don't be silly! I don't know what you're talking about!"

_Your heart doubts. It is only natural. You're going to miss your home. Deeply._

"All right! Ya got me! I miss 'em already!"

_It is nothing to be ashamed of. The only thing you can do is to do as your heart tells you._

"I quite agree. You're right. _Absolutely_ right! And besides, this is an _adventure!_ It's gonna be fun!"

Bella smiled, resting on the cave floor. _Exactly._

B.E.N. gripped his heavy backpack and tried to heave it up onto the saddle. "Whew…kinda heavy…heh…" Straining from the weight, his attempt ended in vain when the backpack dominated him and brought him down hard to the ground. "Oof! Ohh…" he moaned. Giving the robot a hand, Bella grabbed the backpack with her front dentures and lifted the sack up onto the saddle. "Ouch…thanks a bunch, Bella."

_You should never bite off more than you can chew_.

"Ah…right." With that, B.E.N. gladly climbed up and onto the saddle and quickly strapped the backpack to the one of the saddle's straps. "Whew! That wasn't so tough. Wow." He realized how strangely wonderful it felt to sitting on the back of a dragon. "I've never ridden anything in my whole entire life! Gee, it feels thrilling already!"

Annie then approached Bella while B.E.N. was getting a feel of the saddle. "Well, B.E.N.," she said, "I want you and Bella both to have a safe journey."

"Aww, thanks, Annie."

"Just be careful."

_Don't worry_, said Bella in reassurance. _I'll protect him. And so will Roland and Dargoth_. B.E.N. repeated what she said to Annie.

"Good. Hey, B.E.N.?"

"Yeah?"

"How about one more good-bye hug?"

"Better get ready for one!" B.E.N. laughed, reaching over the edge of the saddle, and he and Annie hugged. But when they released, B.E.N. lost his balance and tipped over from the saddle, falling hard on the rocky floor. "Ouch."

"Are you all right?" Annie queried, helping him up.

"Oh, yeah! Peachy. Heh-heh." After climbing back up and settling on the saddle again, he said, "Well, here I go. Whoa!" he exclaimed, holding onto the handgrips on the saddle, as Bella stood on all fours, rocking the saddle in the process.

"Ready to start flying, you two?" Roland said to B.E.N. and Bella, the two dragons nearing the cave mouth's edge.

"Flying?" B.E.N. replied, a little bit surprised, but he grinned with enthusiasm. "Ready and rarin'! That's us!"

"Excellent. But first, allow me to provide for you a few tips on flying a dragon," Roland began explaining. "First, when you're in the saddle, on your dragon's back, you must always grip the handgrips of the saddle as tightly as possible. Second, when there is danger, you must tell your dragon where to go and how fast to fly, and try executing effective air maneuvers. Third, and most importantly…remain alert. You got all that?"

"Roger that! You betcha!" B.E.N. saluted, smiling excitedly.

"All right. Shall we fly?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Let's go!"

"Right then. I'll go out first."

B.E.N. watched as Dargoth stepped towards the edge of the mouth, crouched down a little with his wings close to his body, and lunged over the cliff edge, spreading his huge, red wings to their complete fullness like sails on a magnificent ship. The adult dragon dove downward into the deep canyon and then curved upward, soaring high above the creaking mines down below. Dargoth stopped and hovered in the air, facing towards the mouth of the cave, pumping his wings.

B.E.N. looked onward at the dragon with great astonishment. "_Wow_…That's _fantastic!_"

_Dargoth says to follow and do what he does_, Bella told her keeper.

"Well, what are waiting for? Let's start _flying!_" Even while Bella moved close to the edge, B.E.N. turned behind him, grinning widely towards Annie, who was standing there wistfully. She smiled with him. "Don't worry your pretty, little head, Annie. We'll be back faster than you can say—_Whaaaaahhhhh!_" B.E.N. hollered out loud in reaction to the sudden take-off and Bella vanished over the cliff side, spreading her own wings and swooping over the mining machinery, ascending upward into the sky.

Annie ran to the mouth of the cave, stopped, and gazed at the two hovering dragons. She couldn't help smiling, as she was able to see a tiny, robotic figure on the back of the white dragon. She could see B.E.N. waving to her. She could hear him calling to her, telling her good-bye, and she waved back to him. "Good-bye, B.E.N.!" the young felinid cried, hoping her friend would hear her. "I'll miss you!"

"I miss you already!" B.E.N. returned. With that both dragons turned, pumped powerful their wings, and rose into the air, climbing ever swiftly to reach the etherium, breaking free of Montressor's sunlit atmosphere.

At the cave mouth, Annie hugged her chest, quietly and longingly saying to herself, "Take care, B.E.N. Have a safe journey. You're the Purest of Heart. I have the utmost faith in you."

—

The view from the sky presented the fast shrinking town of Benbow. On Bella's back, B.E.N. was glancing back at his home and pointed at a sight he recognized. "Hey, look, Bella! I can see our _house_ from here!" Waving again, he hollered out, "Bye, Montressor! Bye, Sarah! Bye, Morph! Bye, Annie!" Pretty soon, the group was high above the brown planet.

_Montressor looks beautiful from this distance_, Bella commented.

"I know," B.E.N. added, grinning. "Doesn't it?"

_I've never been off-planet like _this _before. And the etherium looks just gorgeous._

"I tell ya, I never get tired of lookin' at it." Then, he blinked, realizing something crucial and grew worried. "Wait. Uh…Roland? Why aren't we floating away and getting sucked into the deep voice of space? I mean, _we're off-plane and without a ship with an artificial gravity system that should be holding us down!_"

Bella, too, realized this and began to panic. _Oh! B.E.N.! Don't let go!_

"_Ah!_" B.E.N. gripped his arms around Bella's thick neck and shut his eyes closed tight.

"Not to worry," Roland explained calmly "Dragons are able to travel through the etherium. And as long as you and I are on our dragons' backs, we can too. We're perfectly safe."

B.E.N. blinked his eyes open, and he and Bella settled. "Really? Oh. Whew!"

—

Bella and Dargoth had been flying for quite a while now. Montressor had been long out of sight.

Then Roland's expression and tone of voice turned serious. "B.E.N. Bella. You must know that we will soon be up against a very powerful and ruthless enemy. So ruthless, that he has overtaken nearly the entire planet of Draco."

B.E.N. swallowed hard at the very hearing of that. "Oh…and, uh, um, who _is_ this powerful and ruthless enemy…guy…thing…you know."

"He goes by the name of the Ruler of Darkness, or the Dark King, the one that the prophecies foretold."

"Oh…okay…heh…" The robot paused. "_The Ruler of Darkness?!_" he burst out loud in a cry. "_Ya gotta be _kidding _me! Don't tell me _he's_ real too!_"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"But-but-but-but-but he's…_he's_…uh-a _bad_ guy! _Real _bad! And I…I-I just don't do very well with confrontation."

"Yes, but you and Bella are the only ones capable of stopping the Dark King for good."

"Ohhh…" B.E.N. moaned miserably.

"However, you cannot do it alone. That is why you will be joined by the one other than you, as the prophecies _also_ foretold."

"Uh, question. _How the heck are we supposed to take down one the baddest of baddies in the entire galaxy?_ I mean…just out of curiosity."

"You hold the key to the Dark King's demise."

"I do? Wait. I-I think I forgot to bring it with me!"

"No. Not in _that_ sense. You hold it in—"

Their conversation was disrupted by a series of shockwaves, followed by a loud, distant sonic boom and blast of hot wind that sent the two dragons flying a distance off. The two tumbled and rolled in midair, with their riders gripping tight on the saddles' handgrips. Bella and Dargoth regained themselves and all four of them had their attention grabbed by a sight that lay just ahead of them. That sight left them devastated, their mouths dropped open and their eyes wide-shot.

"That's not what I _think_ it is…" said B.E.N., gazing fearfully at a fiery explosion, like something was imploding horribly.

"It _is_. it seems that a star has gone supernova!" replied Roland.

"That's what I thought is was. _Fly, Bella! Fly for your life!_" B.E.N. screamed.

In response, Bella vigorously pumped her wings. Dargoth followed suit. The two dragons sped on through empty space in an attempt to outrun the supernova. The blast of expelled solar energy and flying debris were dangerously fast approaching them. Both Bella and Dargoth panted, pumping their wings as much as possible. Their attempt seemed in vain, but B.E.N. spotted something not too far off and pointed.

"Asteroid at two o' clock!"

Roland followed the robot's gaze. "A _big_ one! Excellent! We'll use that for shelter! Prepare to land!"

Dargoth propelled himself full speed ahead, flying towards the hunk of rock that was only a fraction the size of an average-sized moon. Bella followed, panting heavily as she strained her exhausted wings. B.E.N. had started to gasp, his own body aching a little bit from the exhaustion, but really, he was sharing Bella's physical fatigue.

A small flock of harboring manta birds scattered while squawking as the two dragons neared the asteroid, which appeared as if it had endured many collisions with other smaller chunks of rock, so it provided enough cover from the raging inferno that was not hot on the group's tails (no pun intended). Soon enough, Dargoth and Bella landed inside the asteroid, shielded from the harmful solar flares and flying debris.

The solar storm passed within an hour or so. During that time, the four explored the inner parts of the asteroid, discovering that it contained a number of decrepit, abandoned ships and boats, all of them rotting in ancient pits of hardened lava. B.E.N., Bella. Roland, and Dargoth gazed with wonder upon the old, tattered galleons. These ships must have been magnificent had they not met this sort of sad fate.

For a minute, while curiously examining the ships, B.E.N. thought he recognized one of them. "Hmm. That's odd." This ship's name was still visible enough to read, even after years of aging: _S.S. Venture_. The name seemed to grab him by the throat and pry its way into his mind. He knew exactly where he had seen it before.

"That's…that's…i-it couldn't possibly _be!_" he said, shakily pointing at it.

Bella turned to him with concerned eyes. _You know of it?_

"I…I _remember!_ I-I was _navigator_ for this one particular ship! My, she looks so _different!_ How long has it been exactly? 119 _years?_ Since the day Captain Flint came and…" He realized. "My _goodness!_ It _has_ been that long!"

_How old are you?_

"Exactly 122 years, four months, two weeks, and three days. But then again, I _am_ a robot, so who's countin,' really?" B.E.N. chuckled.

"Say now, I do believe we should be having dinner don't you think?" suggested Roland out of the blue. He obviously wasn't able to hear the coversation between B.E.N. and Bella.

"Ooh, good idea. I'm _starving!_"

_As am I_, added Bella.

Roland then mentally commanded Dargoth to fly up and fetch a few manta birds for both Bella and Dargoth to dine upon. Before Dargoth took off, Roland took out some of his own food from the saddle packs. B.E.N. did the same, picking out a few things for himself from his heavy knapsack and eagerly began snacking on a few aluminum chippers he had brought along, as well as a can of unrefined, octane-free petroleum. The air was chilly that night, so Dargoth tore off a few planks of wood from the hull of one of the boats and, carrying them in his mouth, placed them in the middle of the rest of the group. The planks would be used to make a fire.

"Whoa!" B.E.N. exclaimed and withdrew in reaction to a jet of burning flame that burst from Dargoth's jaws, and the pile of wood was now sparking and crackling. "Hullo! I didn't know he could breathe _fire!_ That's _amazing!_"

"I suppose Bella hasn't yet found her own breath of flame, has she?" Roland inquired, roasting a small mass of meat over the fire, using a metal stick he'd packed along with him. In a minute, he was munching on the cooked meat.

B.E.N. opened his mouth to answer but then realized something. "Uh…no, she hasn't."

"All dragons gain the ability to breathe fire one year after hatching. However…Bella has still yet to gain hers. She must be a late boomer. It'll come to her sooner or later."

B.E.N. looked upon his white dragon as if daydreaming. "Oh, Bella, won't that be great? You, breathing _fire!_"

Bella nodded. _Yes. I hope that ability comes to me soon…especially when we are up against the Ruler of Darkness_.

The robot deflated upon the mentioning of his would-be adversary. "Eh…yeah. That too." It was utterly unusual that B.E.N. would have an adversary to speak of. Never in his whole life had he ever made a particular adversary, namely someone who'd be willing to destroy him, like the Dark King. Just the thought of confronting him scared B.E.N. out of his wits.

"Well," said Roland, finishing off the cooked meat, "let's get some sleep. Once we set out again in the morning, we should be able to reach Draco by sunset. And don't worry, B.E.N. As long as you have Bella by your side, you'll be just fine…both of you."

That made B.E.N. feel better about the situation and he was able to sleep easy that night.

To be continued…

—

Sooooo? Come on! What do you think? I want to know! The story gets much better from there! Trust me! If you thought a solar storm from an exploding star was hard enough, wait till B.E.N. and his friends take on the toughest challenge of their lives!


	10. Meanwhile

It's always sad to see a good friend or family member leave you. You tend to get an empty feeling inside…and many times…you don't like that feeling. Well, I believe it's time that the truth about everything that had happened between B.E.N., Annie, and Bella was revealed. Enjoy!

**Chapter Ten: Meanwhile…**

The Benbow Inn was crowded that same night. Many familiar faces passed by for a bite to eat. Doppler was there that day, as he was almost every day, including Amelia. Jim had just come home after another mission, asking where B.E.N. was. Annie explained to him that B.E.N. was away on community service, helping the needy. She promised that the robot wouldn't be long and that he'd be back soon.

The Benbow Inn was crowded, loud at times, but to Annie…it was the quietest and most boring and it had ever been in the whole year she'd lived here.

Letting Sarah know that she'd been taking her 10-minute break, Annie very solemnly dragged her feet upstairs to where the guest rooms were. Walking further up, the felinid came upon B.E.N.'s own room. She registered the entire door, its brown color and golden trimming and a certain uniqueness to it that seemed to radiate from it. Though it belonged to Annie's robotic companion, the room was without its owner, empty and without life.

Annie slowly opened the door with a sigh and walked inside. She stopped to absorb the décor of the room itself. The bed, blanketed with its stylish blue comforter, lay to the left side of the room and flanked by a small shelf and a nightstand, the foot of it pointing to the opposing wall, where the tall, thin wardrobe sat, accompanied, to the left of it, by the full-view mirror. The shelf on the side of the bed consisted of cute, little nick-knacks. Annie could see that the whole of the room was left exceptionally neat and presented an inviting and playful air to it.

She wandered over to the side of the bed and picked up in her hand a small stuffed animal of a space teddy bear. It looked like a lighthearted version of the generally ferocious, real live kind. But then, all stuffed bears were like that. Annie now knew in full that B.E.N., with all his craziness and spontaneity, has remained a child at heart. Oh, how she missed that youthful spirit of his. Hardly anyone else here carried that with them. That was why it became so boring around here. B.E.N. always sort of lit up the room when he came in to serve the customers.

Making eye contact with the teddy bear, Annie felt a tear roll down her tiger-marked cheek, saw it drop onto the stuffed animal's face and soak into the velvet fabric. She gasped in a sob, her throat choking up on her as she hugged the bear close to her chest and began to cry.

"Annie?" queried Sarah, who stepped into the room and found the felinid sitting on the bed in tears. "Annie, what's wrong?" Sarah took pity on her and sat down on the bed next to her in attempt to comfort her. "Annie, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm…" Annie sobbed in a cracked, squeaking voice, "I'm just missing B.E.N.…a lot. Things just aren't the same without him."

"Oh, honey, don't worry. I'm sure he'll be back soon from whatever it is that he's doing. It's just community service, right?"

"That's the problem. He's _not_ on community service."

"Then, what _is_ he doing?"

"Oh, Sarah…I'd have to tell you everything."

"What? What is it?"

"Well, you wouldn't believe me." Annie wiped away a few tears from her wet face. "Even if I told you."

"It's all right. You can tell me."

"But I'd have to tell you the whole truth."

Sarah seemed a bit surprised by this. "The _whole_ truth?"

Annie exhaled before speaking, feeling an overwhelming guilt finally catch up to her. "Okay. Let me start from the beginning." And she began to explain everything. She told Sarah the same prophecy she'd told B.E.N. and about the pirates that kidnapped him and her, the egg that had come into the mail for him and had hatched into a white dragon, the Crumbletons that tried to snatch the dragon away, the planet of Draco, _everything_. She told Sarah about Bella and how the dragon had been living there for a whole year. At this particular point, Sarah interrupted.

"Wait. Even if this dragon were real, how could it live here without being seen?"

"Because," said Annie, "she _couldn't_ be seen. Dragons are invisible to those that don't believe in them. I could see Bella because I believe in dragons. You couldn't see her because you _don't_ believe. In fact, _no_ one believes anymore, but B.E.N. definitely believes. He _owns_ one, and that one is Bella, the white dragon. And the reason why he left with her is to ward off the Ruler of Darkness, the self-appointed king of Draco."

"Annie, are you sure this is not just a story and that none of this is real?"

"See? You see what I mean? You're not a believer. That's why you couldn't see Bella."

"All right. So, why were these pirates and the Crumbletons all after only B.E.N.?"

"Because he carries something that they wanted. But they weren't the ones that wanted it. I figured out that the Ruler of Darkness is their boss, so _he_ is the one that wants B.E.N. for what he has."

"What is this thing that B.E.N. has that the Ruler of Darkness wants?"

"It's something I had given to him a year ago when he had saved me from that wreck."

"What was it? A piece of jewelry or something?"

"No. It's not any material possession. It's something far beyond value."

"Well, what _is_ it?"

"It's…well…"—Annie hesitated—"…it's a magical power. But I don't know what it does."

"Are you sure? Dragons are one thing, but _magic?_"

"It's true! Anyway, I didn't give it to him just because he'd saved my life. I was _supposed_ to give it to him because…well, basically, it chose him…and I was the delivery girl."

"How does someone, much less _B.E.N._, get chosen by a magical power?"

"Remember the prophecy? Well, not only did this power choose him, Bella also chose him sometime before she hatched, both for the same reasons. The prophecy said, 'only one Purest of Heart shall come and purge the darkness on a dragon whose skin shows white.' Bella is that same white dragon. And she and the magic power chose only B.E.N. because of his pure heart…because he is the _Purest_ of Heart. That's why he's away. He's going to the planet Draco because he and Bella are the only ones who can 'purge the darkness.'"

Sarah was dumbfounded for a long moment, trying to take all of this in. It was very hard to believe that all of this could be true. "But…Annie…B.E.N. _can't_ be the one from the prophecy."

"Well, ma'am…he is. There's no one else like him anywhere in the universe."

"But Annie, B.E.N.'s a machine."

"He's alive, isn't he? You _know_ him. He laughs, he cries, he gets scared and hungry and sleepy, but he never gets angry. Never. It's those qualities about him that make him a person. And it's for those reasons that he was chosen as the Purest of Heart. And the magical power I gave him would've rejected him is he weren't the Purest of Heart. But it didn't. It readily accepted him. That's undeniable proof that B.E.N. is the Purest of Heart."

Again, it was a lot to take in. But Sarah had to admit that Annie was right about B.E.N. She then decided to go along with what Annie was telling her.

"I see. So, what are we supposed to do? Wait here while he 'purges the darkness' all by himself? I've never known him to be able to do this sort of thing. At _all_."

"Neither did he. But he's not alone. He's got Bella with him. And the prophecy also said, 'only one other than the Purest shall come with a spirit so bold, a child who rides a masculine dragon whose skin shows nothing but gold.' That means he'll gain a partner, someone who rides a golden dragon. Ultimately, though, it'll be he and Bella that will get the job done, one way or another."

"Well, I just hope he's all right out there…wherever he is right now."

Taking a glance out the window and into the etherium outside in the endless night sky, Annie said in distant agreement, "Yeah…me, too."

To be continued…

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How am I doing so far on this story? Wanna read more? Please send me a review! Please?


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